Finallygotit
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Looking at the picture of the basement, I'm surprised they put the outlets as low as they did. But what do I know.
Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Factory 59
- Thread starter bdbecker
- Start date
Workspaces between 485 and 705 squarefeet.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
You get that roof back on in some form before those rains last night? House is looking great.
For that garage floor, maybe a skim coat of selfleveling concrete would give you the solid color/finish you desire. Its not as fancy as epoxy and may hold up better for metal working and such.
For that garage floor, maybe a skim coat of selfleveling concrete would give you the solid color/finish you desire. Its not as fancy as epoxy and may hold up better for metal working and such.
I did come across this when I was thinking about options for my office remodel at the current house. I still think it would be funny to incorporate a more subtle version (if I could find one) of it somewhere.
Money being no object, we would have sourced real hardwood and tried to match the finish as best as possible to the existing floor. However, we just couldn't justify the expense with everything else going on. On top of that, since we are going through my friend and current neighbor, we're getting the LVP at cost, saving us $3+ per square foot over purchasing through a store. His install quote is also lower than what we've seen. A good chunk of that savings will be put back in their pockets though... we both come out ahead that way.
I hadn't really noticed that, but now that you point it out, I can't unsee it. I'm sure I'll end up reworking some of it once I figure out a layout.
The crew has been really good about only opening up a section at a time, fixing the framing, and then getting it re-sheeted and covered with (at least) underlayment before they leave each day. I drove by this morning and saw they also had tarps covering the areas that still need shingles.
I'll keep the skim coat in mind. I've got 9'+ ceilings in there, so losing a little bit of height wouldn't be the end of the world.
runit
Well-known member
love a big 1 story!
following
following
I think that exact print would be perfect for your dresser drawer liners. You'd smirk every time you saw it.
That sounds like a great deal for both of you!
The new flooring is in!
It always amazes me to see craftsmen at work. Something that would have taken me a couple of weekends of sweat and swearing was completed on a Friday by my buddy and his nephew (and they made it look easy while doing it). We are very happy with the end result.
We wasted no time covering up those new floors with furniture…
(Smasher showing off his muscles)
I’m not going to even try and summarize the weekend’s events. It was a flurry of activity buttoning up projects to make the new house livable. While there are still things that need to be moved and more work that needs to be done, we are now sleeping at the new house. It feels good to have hit this milestone.
More to come…
It always amazes me to see craftsmen at work. Something that would have taken me a couple of weekends of sweat and swearing was completed on a Friday by my buddy and his nephew (and they made it look easy while doing it). We are very happy with the end result.
We wasted no time covering up those new floors with furniture…
(Smasher showing off his muscles)
I’m not going to even try and summarize the weekend’s events. It was a flurry of activity buttoning up projects to make the new house livable. While there are still things that need to be moved and more work that needs to be done, we are now sleeping at the new house. It feels good to have hit this milestone.
More to come…
pima67
Well-known member
just read your thread. wallpaper saga remined me of the huse we bought in UT. The west wall (25ft) for the living room and dining room was cover in green felt (think pool table). Actually, looked nice. Some years later our youngest got white paint on it, so we decided to replace it with normal wallpaper. Well, the felt is almost waterproof. Spraying did nothing. Rented a steamer that was marginally better. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into getting that felt off. The house also had flocked wallpaper in the entryway (a bilevel with steps up and down to the basement which was 1/2 half above ground. The flocking part f the paper was about as waterproof as the felt.
We did a fair amount of wallpapering in that house and figured our marriage was pretty solid if it could survive those endeavors (lots of yelling back and forth about not doing things correctly).
We did a fair amount of wallpapering in that house and figured our marriage was pretty solid if it could survive those endeavors (lots of yelling back and forth about not doing things correctly).
I hear that... Wife is a strong, intelligent, and independent woman. I love her for those traits (along with many others). At the same time, those traits can make it difficult for her to accept advice on how to do things when I see her struggling with something. To be fair, I can be just as stubborn at times. We have certainly butted heads over the years, but by working through more than a few tense moments, we have learned how to work together and make a good team.
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I don't have a good picture handy, but it's a spiral staircase that leads to the basement. We also have normal steps to the basement off the kitchen. You can see them in the back of this picture.
Initially, I wanted to get rid of them and close off the floor, but Wife likes them. I'm coming around to them the more time I spend in the house. Mr. Whiskers (the cat) really likes using them to get down to his litter box in the basement, and they also allow us to close the door in the kitchen to keep Maggie (the dog) out of the basement while still giving him access to roam the house, so I guess they'll stay for now. They do lead right into the future workshop, so I suppose they may end up being kind of handy for me long term. One of my first projects will be to put a wall and door around them in the basement to reduce the noise in the upper level when I'm working. Speaking of noise, it is becoming very clear to me that sound mitigation will end up being a major project once the time comes to setup shop. There is a lot to learn, but at least I find it interesting.
My tools only get names if I'm inspired in one way or another, so most of them don't have fun names like "Glitter Grinder 9000". The trim nailer was out because I had to reinstall it after the new floors went in. I was initially dreading the task given the timeline for the weekend, but then I remembered I didn't have to measure or cut anything. It's funny how fast trim goes in when you don't have to think.
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Yesterday, Wife sent me a link to a FB memory. On July 19, 2014, we spent our first night in our current house. On July 20, 2025, we spent our first night in our new house. Almost 11 years to the day.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Hooray for the spiral staircase survival!
Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Congrats on the house.
Condolences on the pup.
Ef da wallpaper.
Condolences on the pup.
Ef da wallpaper.
steves_001
Well-known member
Really taking shape! looks great!
Isolating the basement shop from the house will be critical. I've never considered a basement shop a possibility based on the migration of noise and dust and fumes and whatnot into the living space. Both properties I've owned, I built detached garages. She who must be obeyed...
After a minimal amount of blood, a lot of sweat, and (almost) some tears when I hit my head really hard while standing up under a cabinet, the old house is 95% empty. The only thing left is to move Wife's desk and work computer over to the new house. We've got someone coming to look at the house on Wednesday night. They are friends with the neighbors a few houses down. If they end up passing, we'll have the house on the market soon. A few weeks behind schedule, but better than a few months.
The main task for this week is to get a roll-off to the new house so I can get old carpet and other miscellaneous junk out of the garage and start moving my shop over. I'm going to be brutal with what gets moved vs. what gets tossed/donated/sold. I'm considering the new space an excuse to make a fresh start. I kind of wish I could have the roll-off for the shop purge, but no matter where I land it, it'd be in the way. If I have to take a load to the dump, so be it.
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Fumes are low on my list. Even today, if I need to do any finishing, I take it outside. I get bad headaches with even mild exposure. If anything needs to be finished, it happens outdoors or with fans circulating fresh air into the garage. Not ideal for the cooler months, so I’ll have to get creative.
Dust has been my primary topic of research lately. I've been reading through this website, which has a ton of great information:
Different equipment requires different collection methods. For things like my miter saw and drill press, I plan on getting a dust extractor with HEPA filters. For the rest of the shop, a large dust collector will be needed. I've wanted to get a good dust collector for years, so this is the perfect time to get one. The limiting factor in my current shop was the lack of 240v service but I believe I have a spare drop from when the washer and dryer were relocated from the basement to the main level. Even if that drop turns out to be dead (both of my chicken sticks are MIA at the moment and I keep forgetting to bring my multi-meter to the new house), running a new line should be pretty straightforward given the basement shop's proximity to the panel (maybe 25' of wire needed).
The current working plan is to get a 2hp HEPA filter single-stage collector. Unless I can find a deal on a used unit (doubtful based on watching Marketplace, but you never know), I can’t justify the added expense of a cyclone system right now. Running a single-stage system means I'll have to replace the air filter more frequently but given the amount of woodworking I currently (don’t) do, I have to think I could get a good 5 years out of a filter before needing replacement. I do not plan on running an elaborate duct system throughout the shop. If anything, I’ll hardline one of the ports to be used primarily as a drop for the table saw and use the other port and flex hose for the rest of my equipment as needed. If swapping hoses gets annoying, I can always add ducts later.
Sound mitigation is another rabbit hole I’ve been digging into. I’ve already done some research in this area due to work related projects, so I’m not going in completely blind on this topic. Mineral wool in the ceiling is a no-brainer. Lately, I’m trying to figure out if sound dampening drywall is worth the extra cost versus two layers of regular drywall. There are other products like RSIC clips that are interesting, but I don’t know that I want to give up 2” of headroom in an already low-ceiling space. The main problem with researching sound mitigation is that it quickly crosses over into an audiophile-level obsession where the law of diminishing returns doesn’t seem to exist, so it’s sometimes difficult to parse out what solutions will give me the biggest bang for my buck. If I can get away with spending (for example) $1k to get an 85% reduction in sound versus spending $5k to get a 95% reduction in sound, I can live with that.
A secondary goal (which also helps in the main goal) is to absorb some of the sound in the workshop itself to make it less echo-y. I’ve got an idea for some sound panels that might be kind of neat, but that would also mean giving up wall space. These are all future projects for which I have absolutely no timetable established.
The main task for this week is to get a roll-off to the new house so I can get old carpet and other miscellaneous junk out of the garage and start moving my shop over. I'm going to be brutal with what gets moved vs. what gets tossed/donated/sold. I'm considering the new space an excuse to make a fresh start. I kind of wish I could have the roll-off for the shop purge, but no matter where I land it, it'd be in the way. If I have to take a load to the dump, so be it.
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Fumes are low on my list. Even today, if I need to do any finishing, I take it outside. I get bad headaches with even mild exposure. If anything needs to be finished, it happens outdoors or with fans circulating fresh air into the garage. Not ideal for the cooler months, so I’ll have to get creative.
Dust has been my primary topic of research lately. I've been reading through this website, which has a ton of great information:
Dust Collection Research - Beginner's Corner
This site helps small shop workers understand the risks from fine dust exposure and how to effectively protect themselves and those close to them from airborne dust hazards. Fine dust is so extensively studied that researchers call it PM short for particle material. A Google search on PM Health...
billpentz.com
Different equipment requires different collection methods. For things like my miter saw and drill press, I plan on getting a dust extractor with HEPA filters. For the rest of the shop, a large dust collector will be needed. I've wanted to get a good dust collector for years, so this is the perfect time to get one. The limiting factor in my current shop was the lack of 240v service but I believe I have a spare drop from when the washer and dryer were relocated from the basement to the main level. Even if that drop turns out to be dead (both of my chicken sticks are MIA at the moment and I keep forgetting to bring my multi-meter to the new house), running a new line should be pretty straightforward given the basement shop's proximity to the panel (maybe 25' of wire needed).
The current working plan is to get a 2hp HEPA filter single-stage collector. Unless I can find a deal on a used unit (doubtful based on watching Marketplace, but you never know), I can’t justify the added expense of a cyclone system right now. Running a single-stage system means I'll have to replace the air filter more frequently but given the amount of woodworking I currently (don’t) do, I have to think I could get a good 5 years out of a filter before needing replacement. I do not plan on running an elaborate duct system throughout the shop. If anything, I’ll hardline one of the ports to be used primarily as a drop for the table saw and use the other port and flex hose for the rest of my equipment as needed. If swapping hoses gets annoying, I can always add ducts later.
Sound mitigation is another rabbit hole I’ve been digging into. I’ve already done some research in this area due to work related projects, so I’m not going in completely blind on this topic. Mineral wool in the ceiling is a no-brainer. Lately, I’m trying to figure out if sound dampening drywall is worth the extra cost versus two layers of regular drywall. There are other products like RSIC clips that are interesting, but I don’t know that I want to give up 2” of headroom in an already low-ceiling space. The main problem with researching sound mitigation is that it quickly crosses over into an audiophile-level obsession where the law of diminishing returns doesn’t seem to exist, so it’s sometimes difficult to parse out what solutions will give me the biggest bang for my buck. If I can get away with spending (for example) $1k to get an 85% reduction in sound versus spending $5k to get a 95% reduction in sound, I can live with that.
A secondary goal (which also helps in the main goal) is to absorb some of the sound in the workshop itself to make it less echo-y. I’ve got an idea for some sound panels that might be kind of neat, but that would also mean giving up wall space. These are all future projects for which I have absolutely no timetable established.
We put Rockwool/mineral wool insulation into our Chicago house ceiling in the sub basement and basement joists. Both had finished living floors directly above, and both had ceiling tile metal grid drop ceiling below the joists. Old 2 x 4' tiles that had sagged in the long dimension and we were updating lights and putting new tiles in so thought why not on the rockwool insulation directly into the bays. Huge improvement...I was shocked, it was so quiet at first we struggled with it for a bit. Between that and better securing/hanging the metal duct work that was creaking and popping with every temp change I was impressed how much quieter it made it. Warming up that floor above wasn't a horrible side benefit
All that said....I suspect that stopping at mineral wool is going to be sufficient for what you're looking for. It's also gone up in price(shocked face) since then so it's a bit more of an investment...but I'd still do it again in a heartbeat. If we ever open up any interior walls between bedrooms or showers in this current house, mineral wool is going back into that space before it's covered back up. Until you add on and put in that home theater space, I suspect the Green Glue, resilient channel, mass loaded vinyl and other solutions along that path are going to be well past the point of diminishing returns. Then again....this is GJ....so maybe it's exactly where we should be!
Thank you for that real-world insight Logan!
I priced out mineral wool last night for the ceiling... you weren't joking about it being an investment! I still think it'll give me the biggest bang for my buck when it comes to sound mitigation. I think I'll start with the mineral wool and a single layer of 5/8" moisture resistant drywall and see how far it gets me. If I'm happy with the result, I'll consider the project done. If I need to look into other solutions like Green Glue and an additional layer of drywall, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
It's funny you mention a home theater space because that is exactly what Wife and I want to do with part of the basement. I'd love to install a projector and surround sound system. Again, another rabbit hole that I'll eventually dig into, but not right now.
I priced out mineral wool last night for the ceiling... you weren't joking about it being an investment! I still think it'll give me the biggest bang for my buck when it comes to sound mitigation. I think I'll start with the mineral wool and a single layer of 5/8" moisture resistant drywall and see how far it gets me. If I'm happy with the result, I'll consider the project done. If I need to look into other solutions like Green Glue and an additional layer of drywall, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
It's funny you mention a home theater space because that is exactly what Wife and I want to do with part of the basement. I'd love to install a projector and surround sound system. Again, another rabbit hole that I'll eventually dig into, but not right now.
Just Puttering
Well-known member
I also did tons of research into sound deadening and had great success with two layers of regular 1/2” drywall isolated from the joists with 3” square pieces of 1/2” plywood every 18” instead of the expensive clip systems. A coating of “green glue” between the 2 drywall sheets and extensive acoustic caulking on the edges of the first sheet did the trick.
I can barely hear the table saw or grinder in the room above.
Interesting... that makes sense in that the plywood blocks decouple the surface of the drywall from the floor joists. I wonder if a medium durometer rubber pad could achieve a similar result. Something like this...
McMaster-Carr
McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.
Just Puttering
Well-known member
Anything that separates the drywall diaphragm from the structure should work. I tried a section with resilient channels and found it too much of a pain to work with by myself.
Those rubber strips in 2 or 3” sections would work well. But no better than small strips of plywood, as the at that point, the screw is transmitting as much vibration as the spacing material.
Those rubber strips in 2 or 3” sections would work well. But no better than small strips of plywood, as the at that point, the screw is transmitting as much vibration as the spacing material.
Not hard work at all...just took time. To me it was better then working with conventional insulation, though I could tell the next day if I didn't wear a mask with it. Personally it was less irritating then fiberglass, but not non-irritating. Easier to cut...bread knife type large serrated knife works great...they'll probably have some cheap ones hanging there in the aisle with it.
Thank you for pointing that out... I'm still wrapping my head around the physics of how all of this works.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Brad, this is just my 11¢ (used to be 2¢ but you know -- inflation). I know everyone hates wallpaper but sometimes you can use it to create a really nice accent wall. Our daughter put a beach scene on one wall of her bedroom to remind her of a Caribbean vacation she loved.
Pick a wall in your office that reminds you of your happy place, wherever that might be. Our daughter's mural of the tropical beach helped her get through those short days after Christmas...
...or maybe an Alaska panorama to remind you of your great vacation.
This site has 88 scenes of Byron glacier and 1,000 of Homer, Alaska ready to hang:
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Mit Betterwalls Tapeten schaffen Sie neue Atmosphären in Ihren Räumen - Fototapeten nach Mass
betterwalls.com
Personalised Wall Mural Photo Wallpaper
Online Shop for Personalised Photo Wallpaper and Home Decoration Products. Browse through more than 100'000 exclusive products and order online!
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I visited Homer 62 years before you (1957 vs 2019) but I still remember having to walk briskly to stay ahead of the incoming tide. I also vividly remember the cannery that welcomed visitors. Rather than buying a can of crab meat, my mother asked if they could sell us a live King crab for the four of us. When they showed her the smallest King crab in the live tank, she asked if they could steam it for us (it was almost 6-feet across) Turned out it weighed about 10 pounds and cost us $3. They presented the whole steamed crab to us and we carried it back to the trailer. It hung over our newspaper-covered dining table on all three sides (one side attached to front wall of trailer) and we ate King crab for lunch, dinner and finished it off for the next day's breakfast.
Yes, our trailer was sagging on one side, probably my fault for hiding my pine cone, rock and antler collections on that side of the trailer under my parents' bed.
The cannery was expanding when we visited. The only link I found shows it in 1952:
The UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives & Special Collections includes primary sources from many cultures and time periods. The content may be biased, outdated, or harmful. We provide access to these materials to preserve their historical context, bu
View of Alaska-Fresh Company processing plant on Homer Spit, Homer, Alaska. From verso: "Home of the Alaska-Fresh Co. on the end of Homer Spit. The processing plant is to the left, the restaurant is built out over the beach on the log pilings." Aug. 1952. Original photograph size: 5" x 7".
We have a magic moment as well. We moved into our first Florida home on November 1, 1975 and closed on our second Florida home on November 1, 1996, 21 years to the day later.
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I did not get the roll-off as planned last week and I did not get the garage cleaned out like I’d hoped. If I’ve learned anything over the last few months, it’s to be wary of the “simple” tasks, because those are ones that will end up taking way more time than they should. Something as simple as hooking up the dryer in the new house turned into a multi-day event for a variety of issues. The good news is that I now have all new ducting installed, which was a project that I intended to eventually do, just not one I wanted to do right now. Mowing the yard, which normally takes me around 45 minutes ended up being a 4-hour ordeal yesterday afternoon.
Normally in late-July/early-August, the grass would be dormant due to the heat and lack of rain, but not this year. Not only does the frequent rain make the grass grow fast, but it also makes it difficult to find a time window to mow, and the yard was looking pretty shaggy. We’re going to have the listing photos taken later this week, so I wanted everything to look tidy. First, I mowed the yard with my deck on the highest setting while bagging the clippings, then I dropped the deck down to my regular setting and mowed again while bagging, and finally a third pass at the same height but with just the mulching plug to even everything out. Each round of mowing was done in a different pattern. The yard looks like a golf course fairway now, but I burned up a tank and a half of gas and filled the 95-gallon yard waste bin with clippings in the process (I’m sure they were cursing me when they picked it up this morning). Of course my gas can was empty and I had to stop and go to the store for more. All that work, only to come home to the new house and be reminded that my new yard is currently in a similar state to the one I just got done cleaning up.
Did I mention the AC went out at the new house last weekend? Yeah, that happened just in time for the 100+ degree heat index. On the bright side, at least the weather has been unseasonably mild since Wednesday of last week, so I guess if there was a time for it to happen, at least it was a good week. The replacement control board arrived this morning and should be installed this afternoon, just in time for the temps to start creeping back up.
The old house is now empty and has been professionally cleaned from top to bottom. As I mentioned, the listing photos should be taken soon and we’ll be on the market. The potential private sale buyers passed on the house. They are looking for a newer construction house and I think they only came through because their friend lives a few houses down. It kind of felt like a waste of time from the moment we started communicating, but that’s okay. They kept us motivated to keep moving forward and I appreciate that they let us know their decision the next day.
No meaningful pictures from last week, so I’ll just post this picture of Mr. Whiskers helping me set up Wife’s desk by holding down the top while I reinstalled the screws from below. For scale, that is a 30” deep by 60” wide section of butcher block. As Sis always says, “he’s a big ole cat…”
EDIT:
Upon reviewing my post, I realize I may have come across as being a little bit down in the dumps about how everything is going. That was not my intention. While Wife and I are ready to just be done dealing with two houses, we're keeping a positive attitude and reminding ourselves that incremental progress is still progress. The finish line is near, we just need to keep pushing.
Normally in late-July/early-August, the grass would be dormant due to the heat and lack of rain, but not this year. Not only does the frequent rain make the grass grow fast, but it also makes it difficult to find a time window to mow, and the yard was looking pretty shaggy. We’re going to have the listing photos taken later this week, so I wanted everything to look tidy. First, I mowed the yard with my deck on the highest setting while bagging the clippings, then I dropped the deck down to my regular setting and mowed again while bagging, and finally a third pass at the same height but with just the mulching plug to even everything out. Each round of mowing was done in a different pattern. The yard looks like a golf course fairway now, but I burned up a tank and a half of gas and filled the 95-gallon yard waste bin with clippings in the process (I’m sure they were cursing me when they picked it up this morning). Of course my gas can was empty and I had to stop and go to the store for more. All that work, only to come home to the new house and be reminded that my new yard is currently in a similar state to the one I just got done cleaning up.
Did I mention the AC went out at the new house last weekend? Yeah, that happened just in time for the 100+ degree heat index. On the bright side, at least the weather has been unseasonably mild since Wednesday of last week, so I guess if there was a time for it to happen, at least it was a good week. The replacement control board arrived this morning and should be installed this afternoon, just in time for the temps to start creeping back up.
The old house is now empty and has been professionally cleaned from top to bottom. As I mentioned, the listing photos should be taken soon and we’ll be on the market. The potential private sale buyers passed on the house. They are looking for a newer construction house and I think they only came through because their friend lives a few houses down. It kind of felt like a waste of time from the moment we started communicating, but that’s okay. They kept us motivated to keep moving forward and I appreciate that they let us know their decision the next day.
No meaningful pictures from last week, so I’ll just post this picture of Mr. Whiskers helping me set up Wife’s desk by holding down the top while I reinstalled the screws from below. For scale, that is a 30” deep by 60” wide section of butcher block. As Sis always says, “he’s a big ole cat…”
EDIT:
Upon reviewing my post, I realize I may have come across as being a little bit down in the dumps about how everything is going. That was not my intention. While Wife and I are ready to just be done dealing with two houses, we're keeping a positive attitude and reminding ourselves that incremental progress is still progress. The finish line is near, we just need to keep pushing.
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Trapps
ALLIANCE MEMBER
We had about 3 months of overlap with two houses. It was both a blessing and a PITA. 8 years on now, and I really only remember having time at the new place to prep for move in; the PITA aspects have faded.
Simple task time expansion. Perhaps aided by my often hasty estimations, it is a lesson I keep having to relearn.
Simple task time expansion. Perhaps aided by my often hasty estimations, it is a lesson I keep having to relearn.
I know all this will eventually blur into a "that was a hectic summer" type memory. When all of this started, I told my Dad that I'm looking forward to first chilly fall morning where I get to sit by the fire and sip my morning coffee while looking out the windows at the turning foliage.
That reminds me... I need to find someone to do an inspection on the chimney. I just want to make sure there aren't any underlying issues before I start using it.
Brad: Just keep on keeping on. I hear you on how frustrating upkeep of lawn(s) and garden(s) can become during a summer when you’re busy with everything else.
It takes a lot of cat/small horse to take up that much room on a 30x60 table. How much does he weigh? We have a 14 lb ragdoll, which is a lot of weight for a cat. She’s not overweight.. just large.
Just Puttering: Did you use screws or just “green glue” to adhere the second layer of drywall? How much glue? Which products did you use?
It takes a lot of cat/small horse to take up that much room on a 30x60 table. How much does he weigh? We have a 14 lb ragdoll, which is a lot of weight for a cat. She’s not overweight.. just large.
Just Puttering: Did you use screws or just “green glue” to adhere the second layer of drywall? How much glue? Which products did you use?
I get the at times "sick of dis house itis" that comes in the transition. 6 ish months of overlap on house 1 to 2...but had a lot to do to finish house 1. Worked out better on 2-3 as was only about a month...long enough to get stuff moved without a huge rush but not long enough to actually do any meaningful work. Not sure what I'll do on the next move which is not currently being planned but will happen at some point when we're not ready for it. I do remember anxiously awaiting the wire transfer to hit the bank and the relief with each of now only having 1 house to worry about!
And as much as it may go against your nature....see if you've got any local kids mowing lawns as a side job and have them mow one or both houses to help get you some time back. We've got a neighbor doing it and does a really nice job...been a nice way to add an hour back to my week the last couple of weeks....yes it costs me $50 and I have the equipment so not doing it seems wrong....but "mowing" by sending a like word text then venmo'ing the money is pretty nice when I don't know when it's going to happen!
And as much as it may go against your nature....see if you've got any local kids mowing lawns as a side job and have them mow one or both houses to help get you some time back. We've got a neighbor doing it and does a really nice job...been a nice way to add an hour back to my week the last couple of weeks....yes it costs me $50 and I have the equipment so not doing it seems wrong....but "mowing" by sending a like word text then venmo'ing the money is pretty nice when I don't know when it's going to happen!
Yep... that's all we can do. Eye on the prize, one step at a time, etc. We are so close... it feels like that last hour of the car ride when going on vacation.
During his last checkup, I want to say he weighed 17.2lbs. I think he has another vet visit coming up soon, so we'll get an updated number. No idea on his breed. He's got some Maine **** features (face, build, personality) but I doubt he's purebred.
We have a history of accidentally ending up with large pets. While I knew Norma Jean (Newfie/Lab mix) was going to be a big dog, she ended up being one of the largest from her litter. Her sister Lucy looked identical to her, but was about 10% smaller. Her brother Hudson weighed about the same as her (~140lbs), but was 2-3" shorter. Maggie (Goldendoodle) was supposed to be a medium version of the breed based on her parent's genetics, topping out around 50lbs. Some genes must have zigged when they should have zagged and she is smack dab in the middle of a standard size, currently sitting around 70lbs (not overweight, just way bigger than expected). Mr. Whiskers was just a little kitten that wandered up to Sis one day, but by the time he was a year old and larger than most other full grown cats I'd ever seen, I knew something was up.
I'm totally open to that idea, the problem is my daughter (9yo) is one of the oldest kids in the neighborhood. Everyone who has their yards mowed by someone else is using a lawn care business. I'm sure I could call around and find someone to do it, but now that the house is basically ready for photos/listing, the pressure to get the house ready to be sold is off and I can get back into a routine again.
It's kind of interesting how we're going full circle with this move. When we got the original house 11 years ago, other than some renters who moved away shortly after, we were the only young family on the block for the first several years. One by one, the houses have started to change hands from empty nesters/retirees to young families, but it's still at least a 60/40 mix in favor of the older generation. We're now in the same situation with the new house as we were a decade ago - we are the "young" family on the block again.
Bob Heine
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Brad, we bought our first house when I was 21 and had two small children. Luckily the neighbors all had young children as well but they were all in their 30s!!!! To us they were close to their twilight years. Now our 30-something grandchildren are like babies and only one of the nine is a homeowner.
In college I had a Maine ****, also probably not purebred. When the cat came to me, my sister was still in high school and babysitting. One of the families she sat for was having another baby and for some reason that meant they had to get rid of their cats. My sister asked if she could leave a cat at my apartment for a few weeks while she tried to find it a new home.. I should have known better as I'm pretty sure her efforts ceased the second the cat was dropped off. He was 18 lbs in his older years when he put on a little weight.
Anyway, glad to hear the new house is coming together and the end is in sight for the old one!
M.Brane
ALLIANCE MEMBER
That's a whole lotta puddy tat!I did not get the roll-off as planned last week and I did not get the garage cleaned out like I’d hoped. If I’ve learned anything over the last few months, it’s to be wary of the “simple” tasks, because those are ones that will end up taking way more time than they should. Something as simple as hooking up the dryer in the new house turned into a multi-day event for a variety of issues. The good news is that I now have all new ducting installed, which was a project that I intended to eventually do, just not one I wanted to do right now. Mowing the yard, which normally takes me around 45 minutes ended up being a 4-hour ordeal yesterday afternoon.
Normally in late-July/early-August, the grass would be dormant due to the heat and lack of rain, but not this year. Not only does the frequent rain make the grass grow fast, but it also makes it difficult to find a time window to mow, and the yard was looking pretty shaggy. We’re going to have the listing photos taken later this week, so I wanted everything to look tidy. First, I mowed the yard with my deck on the highest setting while bagging the clippings, then I dropped the deck down to my regular setting and mowed again while bagging, and finally a third pass at the same height but with just the mulching plug to even everything out. Each round of mowing was done in a different pattern. The yard looks like a golf course fairway now, but I burned up a tank and a half of gas and filled the 95-gallon yard waste bin with clippings in the process (I’m sure they were cursing me when they picked it up this morning). Of course my gas can was empty and I had to stop and go to the store for more. All that work, only to come home to the new house and be reminded that my new yard is currently in a similar state to the one I just got done cleaning up.
Did I mention the AC went out at the new house last weekend? Yeah, that happened just in time for the 100+ degree heat index. On the bright side, at least the weather has been unseasonably mild since Wednesday of last week, so I guess if there was a time for it to happen, at least it was a good week. The replacement control board arrived this morning and should be installed this afternoon, just in time for the temps to start creeping back up.
The old house is now empty and has been professionally cleaned from top to bottom. As I mentioned, the listing photos should be taken soon and we’ll be on the market. The potential private sale buyers passed on the house. They are looking for a newer construction house and I think they only came through because their friend lives a few houses down. It kind of felt like a waste of time from the moment we started communicating, but that’s okay. They kept us motivated to keep moving forward and I appreciate that they let us know their decision the next day.
No meaningful pictures from last week, so I’ll just post this picture of Mr. Whiskers helping me set up Wife’s desk by holding down the top while I reinstalled the screws from below. For scale, that is a 30” deep by 60” wide section of butcher block. As Sis always says, “he’s a big ole cat…”
EDIT:
Upon reviewing my post, I realize I may have come across as being a little bit down in the dumps about how everything is going. That was not my intention. While Wife and I are ready to just be done dealing with two houses, we're keeping a positive attitude and reminding ourselves that incremental progress is still progress. The finish line is near, we just need to keep pushing.
Another productive weekend…
Wife decided that the kitchen cabinets needed to be repainted. I disagreed, so she headed over to the old house and got to work on that. I guess I lost that debate. I'll admit, they do look much nicer with a fresh coat of paint.
Dad and Mom were down to help for the weekend. Mom helped Sis get her settled into her room. Dad, Smasher, and I got to work clearing out the garage at the new house. We started by getting a bunch of boxes and furniture distributed to the rooms they belong in, or to the basement for future sorting. After that, we got to work loading all the old carpet and other trash into the roll-off that was delivered on Friday. We ended up only filling about a third of the 20 yard roll off with carpet and junk. That’s okay though because the bushes around the front entrance of the house and driveway were way overgrown.
On the driveway near the garage door, bushes on each side were blocking a good 18” on each end, making it difficult to park in the garage without scraping along the bushes, or ending up too close to the other car once you were in the garage. Parking side-by-side in the driveway was basically impossible as well. Along the front sidewalk, there were spots where I’d brush both shoulders on the bushes. As much as I would have liked to save them, they were too far gone to trim back. I recently learned that if you cut junipers back to bare wood, they won’t come back with new growth. Kind of a shame, but it is what it is.
A few hours of work with the chainsaw and we had 7 bushes cut down and the dumpster stuffed. We had a good system down and the work went quick. I ran the chainsaw, Smasher would drag the branches to the dumpster, and Dad would pack them in. Smasher continues to impress me with his willingness to dig into these projects without being asked – he’s quite the helper!
The shoe was on the other foot for Dad. I’m usually pulling branches while he runs the saw. He’s heated the house with a wood furnace since before I was born. Growing up, we were always cutting up trees for firewood. I offered to let him run the saw, but he wasn’t keen on having to crawl into bushes to get access to the limbs. Later that night he was making a joke about how I was pushing a kindergartner and a retiree too hard while I was cutting down the bushes, and that I should maybe slow down next time. I just reminded him that A) I gave him the opportunity to run the saw and B) for the last 35 years, I’ve been the one wishing the guy with the chainsaw would slow down a little. He couldn’t help but laugh at that one.
I left the stumps a little long so I’d have something to grab onto when I get around to digging them out. There’s still more work to be done, but we ran out of room in the dumpster. Dad offered to bring down his big trailer sometime this fall so we can knock out the rest of them.
Finally, a few minor shop related planning updates...
I’ve started working on some layout concepts for the basement shop. For now, it’s been mostly just rough sketches notes about what worked and didn’t work in my last space. I’ve been spending my YouTube wind down time at nights getting ideas for shop organization and layout ideas. The new shop won’t be a blank-check build, I don’t have that kind of budget. However, I’ve learned a lot over the years, both from building out my old shop and from you guys here on GJ. Combining those lessons with the tools and skills I now have versus when I was starting my first shop build, I think I’ll be able to do a much better job this time around.
On the home office/3D printer room front, initially I was planning on using the wood paneled room as my home office. Now that we’ve moved in, that room is just going to be too small to have both a bed and my desk (and 3D printer) in there. Plan B was to section off a portion of the basement shop space to create a clean room of sorts to serve that purpose, however, I believe that will be a compromise on two fronts in that it’ll make both the shop space and the office area too small. Plan C, which I haven’t mentioned to Wife yet, is to use the non-conforming bedroom in the basement as my home office. We don’t have any plans for this room at the moment so I might as well stake my claim to the square footage while I can.
I also found one of my voltage testers and am happy to report that the 220V dryer outlet in the basement is live, which means I will finally have access to real electricity for my TIG welder and a future dust collector! I verified that it is a separate circuit from the current dryer hookup and labeled it in my panel. It wasn’t a complete surprise that it was live - I had noticed the unlabeled 30A breaker in the panel and was hoping it was the one for the old dryer hookup in the basement. After spending the last decade running my shop off a single 30A, 110V circuit, I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally have real electricity for my work areas. Between that, and the fact that the basement and garage are climate controlled… I just don’t have the words to express how much I’m looking forward to getting setup in this new space.
Wife decided that the kitchen cabinets needed to be repainted. I disagreed, so she headed over to the old house and got to work on that. I guess I lost that debate. I'll admit, they do look much nicer with a fresh coat of paint.
Dad and Mom were down to help for the weekend. Mom helped Sis get her settled into her room. Dad, Smasher, and I got to work clearing out the garage at the new house. We started by getting a bunch of boxes and furniture distributed to the rooms they belong in, or to the basement for future sorting. After that, we got to work loading all the old carpet and other trash into the roll-off that was delivered on Friday. We ended up only filling about a third of the 20 yard roll off with carpet and junk. That’s okay though because the bushes around the front entrance of the house and driveway were way overgrown.
On the driveway near the garage door, bushes on each side were blocking a good 18” on each end, making it difficult to park in the garage without scraping along the bushes, or ending up too close to the other car once you were in the garage. Parking side-by-side in the driveway was basically impossible as well. Along the front sidewalk, there were spots where I’d brush both shoulders on the bushes. As much as I would have liked to save them, they were too far gone to trim back. I recently learned that if you cut junipers back to bare wood, they won’t come back with new growth. Kind of a shame, but it is what it is.
A few hours of work with the chainsaw and we had 7 bushes cut down and the dumpster stuffed. We had a good system down and the work went quick. I ran the chainsaw, Smasher would drag the branches to the dumpster, and Dad would pack them in. Smasher continues to impress me with his willingness to dig into these projects without being asked – he’s quite the helper!
The shoe was on the other foot for Dad. I’m usually pulling branches while he runs the saw. He’s heated the house with a wood furnace since before I was born. Growing up, we were always cutting up trees for firewood. I offered to let him run the saw, but he wasn’t keen on having to crawl into bushes to get access to the limbs. Later that night he was making a joke about how I was pushing a kindergartner and a retiree too hard while I was cutting down the bushes, and that I should maybe slow down next time. I just reminded him that A) I gave him the opportunity to run the saw and B) for the last 35 years, I’ve been the one wishing the guy with the chainsaw would slow down a little. He couldn’t help but laugh at that one.
I left the stumps a little long so I’d have something to grab onto when I get around to digging them out. There’s still more work to be done, but we ran out of room in the dumpster. Dad offered to bring down his big trailer sometime this fall so we can knock out the rest of them.
Finally, a few minor shop related planning updates...
I’ve started working on some layout concepts for the basement shop. For now, it’s been mostly just rough sketches notes about what worked and didn’t work in my last space. I’ve been spending my YouTube wind down time at nights getting ideas for shop organization and layout ideas. The new shop won’t be a blank-check build, I don’t have that kind of budget. However, I’ve learned a lot over the years, both from building out my old shop and from you guys here on GJ. Combining those lessons with the tools and skills I now have versus when I was starting my first shop build, I think I’ll be able to do a much better job this time around.
On the home office/3D printer room front, initially I was planning on using the wood paneled room as my home office. Now that we’ve moved in, that room is just going to be too small to have both a bed and my desk (and 3D printer) in there. Plan B was to section off a portion of the basement shop space to create a clean room of sorts to serve that purpose, however, I believe that will be a compromise on two fronts in that it’ll make both the shop space and the office area too small. Plan C, which I haven’t mentioned to Wife yet, is to use the non-conforming bedroom in the basement as my home office. We don’t have any plans for this room at the moment so I might as well stake my claim to the square footage while I can.
I also found one of my voltage testers and am happy to report that the 220V dryer outlet in the basement is live, which means I will finally have access to real electricity for my TIG welder and a future dust collector! I verified that it is a separate circuit from the current dryer hookup and labeled it in my panel. It wasn’t a complete surprise that it was live - I had noticed the unlabeled 30A breaker in the panel and was hoping it was the one for the old dryer hookup in the basement. After spending the last decade running my shop off a single 30A, 110V circuit, I can’t tell you how happy I am to finally have real electricity for my work areas. Between that, and the fact that the basement and garage are climate controlled… I just don’t have the words to express how much I’m looking forward to getting setup in this new space.
nicholam77
Well-known member
Nice progress on both houses and the big move!
Good call on removing the junipers... I hate getting rid of mature plants too, but if they were overgrown then they aren't functional. Plus it looks like you have plants on the other side of the sidewalk and removing the ones towards the street will look more open, nicer and more inviting I think. I don't envy pulling those stumps, though. If you want to replace them with something a flower garden or hardscaping (some large boulders and extending the rock bed?) could be nice.
Definitely jealous of the new shop situation with 220 and heated space.
Smasher is looking ripped
Good call on removing the junipers... I hate getting rid of mature plants too, but if they were overgrown then they aren't functional. Plus it looks like you have plants on the other side of the sidewalk and removing the ones towards the street will look more open, nicer and more inviting I think. I don't envy pulling those stumps, though. If you want to replace them with something a flower garden or hardscaping (some large boulders and extending the rock bed?) could be nice.
Definitely jealous of the new shop situation with 220 and heated space.
Smasher is looking ripped
While this may change, our current plan for the street side of the sidewalk (extending to the front entry) is to put that back into lawn. The space between the house and sidewalk is also going to get cleaned out. We'll transplant the rose bushes and flowers to a different spot, likely to the garden beds in the backyard. Wife wants a front patio area for coffee in the morning and relaxing in the afternoons. I'm still trying to decide if that patio will be pavers, concrete, or something like this:
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I kind of like the idea of the gravel from a visual perspective because it'll have a more natural look and help to tie in the brick color on the house with the dark gray accent color we are using on the soffits and (future) paint around the windows. Maintenance and repair seems pretty straightforward with that product.
Speaking of landscaping and lessons learned from our previous house, Wife is going to take a different approach this time around to minimize maintenance as much as possible. Most of the plants around the house are going to be moved or transplanted. How much (or little) gets done between now and winter is unknown. Gardening was fun for her at first when we had fewer obligations (aka 'kids'), but quickly became a burden. For the in-ground plants, she's going with native perennials that are drought resistant. The large overhangs on our house block a lot of rain, so anything that gets planted there will have to fend for itself. If she wants to do anything fancy, it'll be in a pot
There are more overgrown evergreen bushes and trees along the front and back of the house that have to go due to their size (roots too close to the foundation, growing into the soffits). Along the south side of the house, there is a row of yucca plants that are an absolute hazard. While beautiful, they are too large to walk by without getting stabbed. Nearly every time I've mowed so far, I've ended up bleeding no matter how careful I am. We'll try pruning them back next spring to see if we can get them under control. There are also some native grasses mixed in, which we'll likely leave in place.
The north side of the house is pretty sparse. There are a couple of woody ornamental bushes/trees that are struggling due to the lack of rain and sun. We plan on having a concrete path put in along that side of the house so we can access the backyard without walking through the house or having to walk in dirt/mud.
It'll be a lot of work, but that's okay. We knew this place needed a lot of work, both inside and out. As I've said before, now we can make it ours.
We signed the seller’s paperwork on Friday and the listing pictures will be taken today, which means we should have the house listed shortly. We did a walkthrough of the house with my Uncle and a local realtor on Friday to see if there were any issues that he wanted us to resolve before listing. Neither one of them had any feedback other than that the place looked good, which made Wife and I happy. We spent a lot of time making sure the house was ready for market (more than we anticipated). Hoping for a quick sale.
Saturday I made a quick run up to the farm. Mom and Dad are getting new floors put in the living room this week and needed help moving furniture out of the way and removing the old flooring to prepare for the installers. We made quick work of the project. Mom and Dad both expected that removing the old flooring was going to take the better part of the day. Imagine their surprise when we had it out in about an hours’ time. I pulled the flooring while they hauled it out of the room. Smasher, as usual, was right there helping until he got a sliver. We couldn’t find work gloves small enough for him to wear, so he decided to just supervise the rest of the job (can’t blame him). When he gets back from the farm later this week, we’ll head over to Mills and get him a good pair of gloves.
Because we were able to get everything done so quickly, I decided to head back home that afternoon. Wife and I took advantage of not having kids around, and the fact that there are no more projects that need to be done at the old house, to have a date night. It was good to be able to hang out and be relaxed for a change. I also got 10+ hours of sleep Saturday night, which was very much needed.
Sunday was a bit less enjoyable. I wanted to tidy up the exterior at the old house before pictures. I trimmed, mowed, weeded the flower beds, removed the last of the backyard items, and hosed down the concrete. I must have been pushing a little too hard in the 105+ heat index and ended up with heat exhaustion. Dizzy, headache, nausea, fatigue… the whole works. I knew I should have taken a break, but I was so close to being done and figured I could just **** it up for a little longer. Thankfully Wife noticed I wasn’t doing well and forced me to go inside and cool off. It’s not my first time being dumb like this in the heat, but hopefully it’s my last. Be careful out there… no use in trying to be a tough guy when the temps are like this, there are just some things that are beyond your control.
After drinking a bunch of water and taking a cool shower, I started feeling normal again. Once I finally got rid of my headache, I took a little time to set up my (early) birthday present...
Backstory… my brother bought an old Victrola console record player at a yard sale back when we were in high school (very similar to, if not the same model as this: https://www.ebth.com/items/6624246-mid-century-modern-rca-victor-victrola-stereo-console). We were a little ahead of the curve on the ‘vinyl revival’, so for the first few years, we were buying old records at thrift stores. Now that vinyl is commonly available again, I’ve slowly been adding to my small collection here and there when I see something I want. I’ve still got the old record player, but it was damaged in a move at some point. It still turns on and the radio still works, but the turntable needs some attention and the volume knob is very touchy. I intend to restore the stereo to its former glory but have not made the time to do so. Several years ago I started researching what needed to be done and realized that it’s going to be a much bigger project than anticipated. That, and we didn’t have a good spot for it in our old house, so it was a low priority.
Still, there have been times when I’ve missed being able to play some of my albums. Sure, I can stream them through Spotify, but it’s not the same. I’ve been tempted to buy a new player like this for a while now but never pulled the trigger because I figured I should just put that money towards fixing what I already have. When Wife asked me for birthday gift ideas, I started scrolling through my Amazon wish list and saw there was a flash sale on this unit over the weekend, I instantly knew what to ask for. I figured it’ll be a while before I’ll get my shop setup to restore the old player, but at least I can play some of my albums again. To be clear, this is very much a ‘casual listener’ level record player. While it’s a step or two above an entry level unit, there are certainly higher quality (and more expensive) options out there. I figure if I ever want to upgrade to a higher quality unit someday, I can give this to one of my kids to use, or put it in the wood shop. I was happily surprised at how good it sounds given the price, and it uses an Audio Technica cartridge so replacements should be easy to find. Because it is relatively inexpensive, I’m not too worried about having it out in the house where kids or pets can damage it (not that I want anything to happen to it).
A funny side story related to this… Wife ordered the record player about 2 minutes after I sent her the link and told me it was on the way. I started looking at records on Amazon and ordered a copy of Sturgill Simpson’s ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ so I could have something to listen to without having to dig through boxes. When I told her this, she laughed. I asked what was so funny. She explained that she had added the exact same album to the order for the exact same reason. It’s safe to say she knows me well. I cancelled my order right away so that we didn’t get two copies.
Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. We've got another couple of days of hot weather to deal with this week. After Sunday's scare, I'm going to avoid starting work on the shop move until it cools off a little. There's still plenty to do in the new house - I might just have to dig through some boxes and find some more vinyl to listen to while I'm chipping away at that.
Saturday I made a quick run up to the farm. Mom and Dad are getting new floors put in the living room this week and needed help moving furniture out of the way and removing the old flooring to prepare for the installers. We made quick work of the project. Mom and Dad both expected that removing the old flooring was going to take the better part of the day. Imagine their surprise when we had it out in about an hours’ time. I pulled the flooring while they hauled it out of the room. Smasher, as usual, was right there helping until he got a sliver. We couldn’t find work gloves small enough for him to wear, so he decided to just supervise the rest of the job (can’t blame him). When he gets back from the farm later this week, we’ll head over to Mills and get him a good pair of gloves.
Because we were able to get everything done so quickly, I decided to head back home that afternoon. Wife and I took advantage of not having kids around, and the fact that there are no more projects that need to be done at the old house, to have a date night. It was good to be able to hang out and be relaxed for a change. I also got 10+ hours of sleep Saturday night, which was very much needed.
Sunday was a bit less enjoyable. I wanted to tidy up the exterior at the old house before pictures. I trimmed, mowed, weeded the flower beds, removed the last of the backyard items, and hosed down the concrete. I must have been pushing a little too hard in the 105+ heat index and ended up with heat exhaustion. Dizzy, headache, nausea, fatigue… the whole works. I knew I should have taken a break, but I was so close to being done and figured I could just **** it up for a little longer. Thankfully Wife noticed I wasn’t doing well and forced me to go inside and cool off. It’s not my first time being dumb like this in the heat, but hopefully it’s my last. Be careful out there… no use in trying to be a tough guy when the temps are like this, there are just some things that are beyond your control.
After drinking a bunch of water and taking a cool shower, I started feeling normal again. Once I finally got rid of my headache, I took a little time to set up my (early) birthday present...
Backstory… my brother bought an old Victrola console record player at a yard sale back when we were in high school (very similar to, if not the same model as this: https://www.ebth.com/items/6624246-mid-century-modern-rca-victor-victrola-stereo-console). We were a little ahead of the curve on the ‘vinyl revival’, so for the first few years, we were buying old records at thrift stores. Now that vinyl is commonly available again, I’ve slowly been adding to my small collection here and there when I see something I want. I’ve still got the old record player, but it was damaged in a move at some point. It still turns on and the radio still works, but the turntable needs some attention and the volume knob is very touchy. I intend to restore the stereo to its former glory but have not made the time to do so. Several years ago I started researching what needed to be done and realized that it’s going to be a much bigger project than anticipated. That, and we didn’t have a good spot for it in our old house, so it was a low priority.
Still, there have been times when I’ve missed being able to play some of my albums. Sure, I can stream them through Spotify, but it’s not the same. I’ve been tempted to buy a new player like this for a while now but never pulled the trigger because I figured I should just put that money towards fixing what I already have. When Wife asked me for birthday gift ideas, I started scrolling through my Amazon wish list and saw there was a flash sale on this unit over the weekend, I instantly knew what to ask for. I figured it’ll be a while before I’ll get my shop setup to restore the old player, but at least I can play some of my albums again. To be clear, this is very much a ‘casual listener’ level record player. While it’s a step or two above an entry level unit, there are certainly higher quality (and more expensive) options out there. I figure if I ever want to upgrade to a higher quality unit someday, I can give this to one of my kids to use, or put it in the wood shop. I was happily surprised at how good it sounds given the price, and it uses an Audio Technica cartridge so replacements should be easy to find. Because it is relatively inexpensive, I’m not too worried about having it out in the house where kids or pets can damage it (not that I want anything to happen to it).
A funny side story related to this… Wife ordered the record player about 2 minutes after I sent her the link and told me it was on the way. I started looking at records on Amazon and ordered a copy of Sturgill Simpson’s ‘A Sailor’s Guide to Earth’ so I could have something to listen to without having to dig through boxes. When I told her this, she laughed. I asked what was so funny. She explained that she had added the exact same album to the order for the exact same reason. It’s safe to say she knows me well. I cancelled my order right away so that we didn’t get two copies.
Anyway, that's pretty much it for now. We've got another couple of days of hot weather to deal with this week. After Sunday's scare, I'm going to avoid starting work on the shop move until it cools off a little. There's still plenty to do in the new house - I might just have to dig through some boxes and find some more vinyl to listen to while I'm chipping away at that.
Nice choice for tunes there. My son got a record player and begged me to find him Bob Marley legend for it. ( Hes 10 btw) I found a copy at a thrift store and paid like 40 dollars for it. Seemed rediculous to me especially when I was used to picking up used vinyl for pennies years ago. I didnt realize they were reprinting all this stuff on vinyl nowadays and found it at Guitar center for 20 bucks the next week. Oh well made him happy so I guess its money well spent.
I'm glad they are bringing back the old stuff. I'm not a vinyl collector and doubt I ever will be. If I have anything of value, it's completely by accident. I will certainly double-check my collection before I start using the records again just to make sure I'm not missing anything. The only album that I consider collectable and will never open or listen to is an autographed reissue of The Presidents of the United States of America self-titled album. That was the first CD I ever bought and my first 'favorite' band, so I had to have it. I should buy a non-autographed version so I can listen to it though.
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An actual shop update for a change...
(Apologies in advance for the poor picture quality, there is only a single bulb in the attached garage, which makes taking pics difficult.)
Shortly after we had our offer accepted, I started thinking about my shop strategy and realized I’d likely want a second drill press. Truth be told, I’ve wanted a second drill press for a few years now because I really don’t like mixing metal and wood on the same machine. No matter how clean I try to be, it always seems that I end up with some cutting oil and/or metal chips getting on whatever wood piece I’m drilling. Now that my metal and woodworking areas are going to be split between two separate spaces, I really didn’t like the idea of having to drag a work piece through the house to access a drill press. For the last few months, I’ve kept my eye on Marketplace for a deal on a drill press. Other than a fairly new Grizzly that sold quickly (and for almost new price), the market has been pretty dry, mostly 10-30 year old Asian import stuff that was either overpriced or in pretty rough shape. Patience paid off because last night I found what I was looking for in the form of a Rockwell 15-665 floor drill press…
According to VintageMachinery.org, the serial number puts the manufacture date sometime in late 1973, which is right around the time when the merger between Rockwell Mfg. Co. and North American Rockwell Corp. occurred, which created Rockwell International Corp. Apparently things started slipping on the quality front shortly after that happened. From what I can tell, I got one of the last of the good ones.
The seller was a retired guy who had recently moved into a new house and needed to downsize to free up space in the garage. He already had a small, benchtop drill press that worked for his needs (he primarily makes scroll saw art pieces). The drill press has been in his family since it was new, first purchased by his dad before he inherited it. He was happy to know that it was going to a good home where it will still be used and taken care of.
I know I caught him off-guard when I showed up carrying a dial indicator and a piece of precision ground 4140 rod so I could check the runout before purchase. I told him not to worry, I was more than likely going to buy the drill press, I just wanted to know what I was getting myself into. As it turns out, the runout is just below 0.003”, which is more than acceptable for my needs. It runs quiet, the belts are fairly new, and the bearings feel good.
There are a few issues that make it less desirable from a collector’s standpoint, but for the $160 I paid, I feel like I got a fair deal. Most notably, the collar that holds the worktable in place cracked back in the late-90’s and was brazed back together by a welder. According to the seller, it’s never been an issue for him. Most of the work I’ll be doing won’t require much adjustment of the height of the table, so I think I’ll be okay as long as I don’t crank down on the knob too hard.
I am unsure if the handle is correct for this machine. I’ve come across a few pictures that show this type of straight handle (with ball) installed, but most seem to have a more traditional three-handle setup. I’ll have to do more research on this just to satisfy my own curiosity. Other than putting a ball on the handle, I don’t see a need to do anything with it unless it becomes an issue.
The chuck is not original either, but it is a Jacobs brand chuck. I’m tempted to install a keyless chuck for quicker setup. It’s the same taper (2MT) as the tailstock on my wood lathe (which I don't have a chuck for), so it would not go unused. That’s a future decision to make, along with whether I should give it a full-blown restoration or not. Cosmetically, it’s in pretty good shape for its age. A little surface rust and worn paint, but nothing to worry about. I’ll have to see how it looks when it’s all cleaned up
Finally, included with the sale was a clamp-on woodworking table jig. There have been a few occasions in the past where I’ve wanted something like but never got around to building one. I guess I can cross that project off my list.
Overall, I’m pretty excited about this find. The first new tool for the new shop! Now I just have to figure out how to get it down there without dropping it.
(Apologies in advance for the poor picture quality, there is only a single bulb in the attached garage, which makes taking pics difficult.)
Shortly after we had our offer accepted, I started thinking about my shop strategy and realized I’d likely want a second drill press. Truth be told, I’ve wanted a second drill press for a few years now because I really don’t like mixing metal and wood on the same machine. No matter how clean I try to be, it always seems that I end up with some cutting oil and/or metal chips getting on whatever wood piece I’m drilling. Now that my metal and woodworking areas are going to be split between two separate spaces, I really didn’t like the idea of having to drag a work piece through the house to access a drill press. For the last few months, I’ve kept my eye on Marketplace for a deal on a drill press. Other than a fairly new Grizzly that sold quickly (and for almost new price), the market has been pretty dry, mostly 10-30 year old Asian import stuff that was either overpriced or in pretty rough shape. Patience paid off because last night I found what I was looking for in the form of a Rockwell 15-665 floor drill press…
According to VintageMachinery.org, the serial number puts the manufacture date sometime in late 1973, which is right around the time when the merger between Rockwell Mfg. Co. and North American Rockwell Corp. occurred, which created Rockwell International Corp. Apparently things started slipping on the quality front shortly after that happened. From what I can tell, I got one of the last of the good ones.
The seller was a retired guy who had recently moved into a new house and needed to downsize to free up space in the garage. He already had a small, benchtop drill press that worked for his needs (he primarily makes scroll saw art pieces). The drill press has been in his family since it was new, first purchased by his dad before he inherited it. He was happy to know that it was going to a good home where it will still be used and taken care of.
I know I caught him off-guard when I showed up carrying a dial indicator and a piece of precision ground 4140 rod so I could check the runout before purchase. I told him not to worry, I was more than likely going to buy the drill press, I just wanted to know what I was getting myself into. As it turns out, the runout is just below 0.003”, which is more than acceptable for my needs. It runs quiet, the belts are fairly new, and the bearings feel good.
There are a few issues that make it less desirable from a collector’s standpoint, but for the $160 I paid, I feel like I got a fair deal. Most notably, the collar that holds the worktable in place cracked back in the late-90’s and was brazed back together by a welder. According to the seller, it’s never been an issue for him. Most of the work I’ll be doing won’t require much adjustment of the height of the table, so I think I’ll be okay as long as I don’t crank down on the knob too hard.
I am unsure if the handle is correct for this machine. I’ve come across a few pictures that show this type of straight handle (with ball) installed, but most seem to have a more traditional three-handle setup. I’ll have to do more research on this just to satisfy my own curiosity. Other than putting a ball on the handle, I don’t see a need to do anything with it unless it becomes an issue.
The chuck is not original either, but it is a Jacobs brand chuck. I’m tempted to install a keyless chuck for quicker setup. It’s the same taper (2MT) as the tailstock on my wood lathe (which I don't have a chuck for), so it would not go unused. That’s a future decision to make, along with whether I should give it a full-blown restoration or not. Cosmetically, it’s in pretty good shape for its age. A little surface rust and worn paint, but nothing to worry about. I’ll have to see how it looks when it’s all cleaned up
Finally, included with the sale was a clamp-on woodworking table jig. There have been a few occasions in the past where I’ve wanted something like but never got around to building one. I guess I can cross that project off my list.
Overall, I’m pretty excited about this find. The first new tool for the new shop! Now I just have to figure out how to get it down there without dropping it.
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