Dry Rot Galore, Part 2
Mills Custom Homes tackles the dry rot, a very sturdy Ace bandage rather than a final solution.
Category: Projects
Fun with Dry Rot, Step One: Identify the Problem
Step one of dealing with the dry rot: documenting just how bad it is around the house.
More Stable Tales: The tack room and office disaster areas.
Cleaning out the last of the stables, the tack room and the office, under a giant quantity of bird crap.
More Stable Tales: More Messes
The third stall was chock full of nursery pots that tumbled out when you opened the door. The stable cleanout continues.
Saving the Stables
A new roof for the stables, built from railroad ties, telephone poles and old warehouse beams, buys us time to decide its future.
Such Guilt
Feeling guilty about the small creatures we accidentally harm, and making my office windows safer for birds.
Psst, want some pot(s)?
Clearing out a stall in the stables packed with plastic nursery pots.
The Disemboweling of Purgatory, Part 4: Ducts
Our ducts were so incredibly dirty the cleaners went through a couple of brushes, and found a tiny skeleton.
Septic Day Remembered
A year ago today, the septic tank was replaced. Here are some unseen videos from day one.
The 1 Year List
In a year and a bit, we’ve crossed off about two-thirds of the original project list.
Fun With Math and Water
A summer project: how much rainwater could we catch from our roofs? About 60,000 gallons.
Spiders and earwigs and termites, oh my!
A termite funnel above the washer and dryer leads to an inspection, and treatment, under the entire house.
New Project: Utility Closet
The rotting utility closet door outside gets replaced with one that’s actually meant for outdoors.
Water, Water Everywhere, Part 2: Softening the Water
Our water is very hard, so here’s how we soften it, and why that makes it taste a bit salty.
Preparedness: We now have it.
Our disaster preparedness kit gets a serious upgrade, all stowed in a Pelican case.
Closet of Doom
Rebuilding the water-damaged closet off the great room that no one told us about, down to the studs and through the teak floor.
Final Blue Room Pics
Before, mockup and after shots of the blue room, with the couch we wanted in blue and grey.
And now we have a hot tub!
The trench is filled, the river rocks are raked, and we now have a lovely new hot tub.
Hot Tub, Step 4 – Electrical
The old hot tub’s circuit was a half-assed mess of shared power and rotted wiring, so the new tub gets a proper 220V circuit in a fresh trench.
The end of the purple
Learning to paint textured interior walls, starting with spackle and primer, as the purple room nears its end.
Purple Update
Prepping the purple bedroom for paint: lots of spackle, two useless phone jacks plugged and a growth chart about to disappear.
Updated Floorplan
Building a better floorplan of the house with a laser tape measure, after trying a few apps that didn’t quite work.
Forgotten nugget of PO craptasm
A very corroded pool light bulb, because the previous owner wouldn’t spend a few extra dollars on a new housing seal.
Purple…
A rainy-day project: repainting the horrible purple bedroom, with help from the Sherwin Williams paint app.
Next Project: Hot tub, Step 1
The 35-year-old hot tub that came with the house turned green, and the plastic was disintegrating, so it’s time to find a new one.
One stall at a time
Cleaning out the junk-packed barn, one stall at a time.
So many wood chips
Spreading the giant piles of wood chips around the property, a few cubic feet at a time. Who needs a gym?
Finished Fence Fotos
Photos of the long section of fence Agent Smith and his father finished last month.
A muddy start…
The grinders arrive to tackle the trash heap, and promptly get stuck in thick, heavy mud.
Pools, hot tubs, and other watery updates
Pool chemistry lessons after the circulation pooped out, plus other watery issues the previous owners left us.
Looking back…
Looking back at the original June project list and striking off what’s done.
The end of the little stable
Agent Smith and his dad take down the derelict little stable on the south side, all the way to the quasi-foundation in one day.