It LIIIIIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By and large, the house is severely lacking in storage. In the three bedroom house, there are exactly three closets--that's it. There's no linen closet. There's no utility closet. Instead of making a closet underneath the stairs on the inside of the house, there's a closet on the outside. The vacuum cleaner, broom, carpet cleaner, etc are all "discretely" tucked behind trash containers and corners. In the flurry of house-buying oblivion, we didn't notice the lack of closets. A year later, we lament the lack.
One of the problem areas has been the foyer. We don't have a convenient spot to put keys and mail and incidentals, so they wind up other places and are easily lost. Last November, John and I decided to rectify that by building a console table. This was the original design:

We decided to use the Kreg Pocket Hole Jig that John had picked up previously. We bought some furniture-grade birch plywood, cut it down the dimension with the table saw. We first tested the straightness of the cuts by dry-assembling it with clamps.

Then we set up the jig and got to drilling.

The jig is incredibly easy to use.

We got the top, bottom and sides put together in short order. We cut the back panel. A few weeks prior, we were at Habitat for Humanity's ReStore, and found some pretty nice plain drawers (lacquered plywood with a melamine-coated Masonite bottom). I'm pretty sure they were intended to be kitchen cabinet drawers, but they'd work just fine for the console table. They were marked at $4 each, but were on sale for 50% off, so $4 for drawers was definitely do-able. The only problem was that the drawers were about 5 inches too long and wide, but we figured it'd be easy enough to disassemble them, cut them to size, and reassemble them. We got the first drawer done with no issues--it fit perfectly! The second drawer, I mis-measured, and we cut it the wrong size. Frustrated, we put the project on hold until we could buy a third drawer. A week or so later, we bought a third drawer and set it on top of the frame. And pushed the project off to the side of the garage, where it sat unfinished.

I was working on other projects and kept meaning to finish the console, but the thought of doing it myself was a bit daunting. Finally, I bucked it up in May, and drug the four-sided carcass to the work table. First thing I did was attach the back, which make it ever so much more stable and ever so much more HEAVY. I measured the correctly-sized drawer and cut the third drawer to match. Then I put the drawers into the table, expecting them to fit marvelously well. They didn't. In our measurements, we failed to take into consideration the inset back panel, so the drawers were about an inch too long. So, I disassembled both drawers (marking everything as I went so I wouldn't cut too much again!), made the corrections, reassembled them, and happily rejoiced when they fit.

At about this time, I also decided to attach the pine molding I had purchased for the project. I got it attached to the "top" of the cabinet, only to realize I had actually attached it upside down from what I had intended, and the glue had already set, so there was no way I'd be able to take it off without making a big mess. So what was once the bottom of the table became the top of the table. And I realized I hadn't measured correctly, and wouldn't have enough of the molding to finish the bottom. I took a trip to the lumber yard near my work and asked if they stocked pine molding with a cove edge. Nope. They could order me some alder molding with a cove edge.

After I got the bottom molding attached, I decided to modify my design and put the drawers on the bottom of the table. I also decided to add a little cubby between the drawers.
I used the Kreg jig to attach the two side pieces to the bottom, and also the middle shelf to the entire unit.I had loads of thinly shaved hard maple strips lying around from my brother in law's Christmas present, so I thought I could use those strips as edge-banding to cover the raw plywood edges of the table. I had more hard maple shorts lying around (they were cheap at the lumber yard!) and thought they'd make nice drawer fronts. I got those cut down to size and dry-fitted them.
After I was mostly satisfied with the assembly, I used stainable wood filler to cover brad marks and cracks.

When it was dry, I scraped off the excess.

And started a sanding regime. 80, 100, 150, 200 grit sand paper. Thank goodness for random orbital sanders! After I wiped it down with a wet rag, it was ready to stain.

I turned to my old reliable Red Mahogany stain (since it's what I have!). This is what it looked like after the first coat:

Unfortunately, the "stainable" wood filler wasn't all that stainable on the molding, so it's really obvious where the brads are. At that point, I was tired and flustered, so I decided to put a second coat on, paying special attention to the filled areas. After the second coat, they filler-spots are still there, but they're not as noticeable and my f-it attitude got the best of me, so I decided to just seal the f-er.

I put three coats of poly on the inside, sides, molding, drawer fronts, and legs. For the table top and the top of the shelf, I added three additional poly coats--just for good measure.

This is what the behemoth looks like, fully assembled:

It's HUGE!!!!!! Like, really really really big. I think I'm going to cut the legs down two more inches so it'll stand at counter height, and the ottomans will just fit underneath.

In my haste to get it into the house (by myself! I didn't want to ask John or Josh to help!), I accidentally chipped the molding on the top left hand corner of the piece. The SIX coats of poly were thick enough to keep the piece attached, so I'll have to glue it and then refinish it a bit. I call it my Frankenstein Console Table (hence the title of this post) because it's got birch, maple, alder, pine, and Douglas fur. I'm quite proud of myself for getting this huge thing made, mostly by myself. It was most certainly a learning project for me. I know that I need to make much more detailed plans before I begin a project, I know I need to measure not once twice or three times but four times before cutting, I know I need to make accurate calculations of materials needed before I set about cutting things up. Best of all, I know I can make a pretty nifty piece of furniture, all by myself. My mom tells me my great great grandfather was an expert furniture maker...I guess I've got a bit of that in my blood :o)

Click for more pics.

DIY Sunburst Mirror Design

So I've noticed an alarming number of design blogs that feature sunburst mirrors. And I WANT one, but I don't want to shell out the $200 (for a cheapie) to $1500+ (for a HOLY F). And with my false sense of belief in my woodworking abilities bolstered by the relative success with the magnetic knife holder I made for my brother in law, I've convinced myself that I would make my own sunburst mirror out of a 3" thick piece of wood cut into a circle, a bunch of dowels of different diameters, some circular wood cut outs, and a convex mirror (the type you'd expect to see on the side mirrors of a truck). And maybe some spray paint for a guilded look--haven't thought that far yet. I think it'll be a relatively easy project to complete. Hooray for band saws and drill presses!
So tonight, I decided to put my Word drawing skills to the test, and I made a mock-up of what the mirror will look like (or, at least, what I hope it will look like). I'll add this to the list of things I want to make, like the mailbox. Now, keep in mind that this is a Word "drawing" and it's not to scale or anything, but you get the idea.

A New Life, What I Wouldn't Give to Have a New Life!

The lyrics to "A New Life" from Jekyll and Hyde are rattling through my head, because I gave a New Life (hah!) to a sad little seat-less chair John and I found outside ReStore last Octoberish. You might remember the picture from my post back in November. That it's below. Cute, isn't it? As I remarked, I'm certain the chair was hand-crafted, and the person who made it just gave up on finishing it. There were glue drips on it, and it was missing the center spindle on the back, and there were pencil details where the person had planned on hand carving the arms. It was solid, supple wood, and I decided that I simplyhadtohave it, so I doled out the $10 and John and I stuff it into the back of the Prius.And it sat in our dining room for several weeks. Around Christmas, when I was getting the house cleaned up for hosting John's family for Christmas dinner at our house, it got stacked on top of the other rescue-chair and placed in the spare bedroom. Then in February, I got the itch to DOSOMETHING with it, so it went out to the garage.

I first set about sanding it. Stupid, I tried it by hand. Even with the 80-grit paper, I was getting no where. So I pulled out John's oscillating power sander and got to work sanding the sucker down. First 80, then 100, then 200.

After, oh, about 2-straight hours of sanding, I was satisfied that it was ready for staining.

I used Minwax Poly Oil in Red Mahogany, because that's what I had on-hand at the time, and I tend to prefer darker woods with red undertones (no oak for me!).I applied the stain using a sponge brush, and it worked out quite well. After letting it set for 20 minutes, I removed the excess stain with a rag. And it looked blotchy as hell. I was disheartened, and appealed to John's vast knowledge base of woodworking techniques. A second coat, he recommended.
And Boy oh Boy, did the second coat make a difference! Didn't it look much better?
A few days later, I was ready to apply the clear coat. I used a matte-finish Minwax Poly that worked with the oil stain.
I applied three coats, because that's what's recommended by the manufacturer. There are some slight imperfections in the coats, but I was alright with them and decided to stop futzing--after all, it doesn't have to be PERFECT.

Next I set about making the seat. This was a pain in the butt. First, I cut out a square from a sheet of crappy 3/4" plywood we had sitting around (NOT furniture grade, just the cheap stuff from Home Depot that we had originally purchased to make a work bench and never got around to using). I then cut out a large piece of clear plastic bag, and taped it to the seat of the chair. Using a marker, I traced out the seat-ridge on the chair, so I'd have a template to apply the the plywood. I cut the plastic to size, and then traced it onto the plywood. I started out using the band saw, but there's something up with the blade because it kept going off at weird angles. John wasn't around to help figure out what was wrong with it, so I just soldiered through. I also tried using the jig saw to cut it, but I think I was using the wrong kind of blade because it kept CHEWING up the wood without REALLY cutting it. I managed to whittle away enough wood to get it to sit correctly on the seat, so I was happy. The wood bottom for the seat looks HORRIBLE, but I figured that since it'll be covered with fabric, who cares? I (smartly) didn't take any pictures of the horribly ugly seat, so I will spare you the sight.

I then took the chair and seat into the house, and attached the fabric in the same way I did with the other chairs I reupholstered.

I bought a 2" foam pad, and once I got the fabric on, I decided I didn't like it much--it resembled a mushroom, and wasn't the sleek look I had in my mind. So at SOME point in the future (who knows when?), I'll redo it. But for now, I'm happy with it. I think the chair looks lovely, and I'll ignore the puffy set with the off-center pattern, and enjoy the new seat in the living room.

Click here to see more pictures of the process (no commentary, just pictures). All in all, I think I probably spent, oh, 6 hours working on the chair. Here's the budget breakdown.

Chair: $10

Fabric: $10

Stain: Already had

Clear Coat: $5

Sandpaper: Already had

Foam Pad: $12

(Mostly) Finished Product: Priceless

I'm going to start working on the other chair we bought at the same time, sometime soon.

With List in Hand, We Embark on a Journey!

So, one of the main reasons I decided to start this blog was that I thought it would give me motivation to continue doing home renovation projects. It's a lofty goal, and one I hope to continue to work towards.

So, I thought that as extra motivation (because I need it!), I would post the REALLY BIG list of things John and I want to accomplish with this house, from the tiny (switch out the light and outlet plates to all WHITE, instead of a mish-mash) to the huge (pop-the-top on the second story and do a complete gut job of the bedrooms/bathroom/laundry room). And (!) I'll cross things off as we complete them (because, you know, I REALLY love to cross things off lists--so much so that I'll even add things I've already done when I'm writing a list just so I can cross them off------in my defense, I only add things that are directly related to the list, and not just mundane stuff like "wake up" and "brush teeth" and "pet the cat.")

Here's the list. Click the links to see pictures of what I'm talking about. Note that the pictures, unless otherwise noted, are from before we moved in. That's why it's so dirty!

YARDS
Backyard
Build retaining wall at back of yard
Build retaining wall at front of yard
Build walled steps to the leveled backyard
Fill in backyard
Create patio area
Create seating area
Seed with fescue

Front Yard
Patch concrete driveway
Replace concrete driveway
Replace mailbox
Remove spindly coniferous tree from the island and replace with a fast-growing deciduous tree
Create steps from the center of the parking pad up to the porch (right now, you have to walk all the way to either side of the property to walk up to the house—not that big of a deal, unless you’re carrying an armful of groceries in the rain or a screeching howling scratching writhing cat that DIDNOTENJOYTHEVETVISIT!)
Landscape/ xeriscape

Lighting/Electrical
Change out light fixture in DS hallway
Change out light fixture in bonus room
Change out light fixture in DS master and replace with a ceiling fan
Correctly ground all power outlets
Replace standard toggle light switches with more modern, square toggle light switches
Replace standard rounded power outlets with more modern, square power outlets

Painting (Requires wall prep before hand--patching drywall, sealing crown molding)
Paint DS bathroom Check!
Paint dining room
Paint kitchen
Paint foyer
Paint living room
Paint stair well
Paint office
Paint US master
Paint US bathroom

DOWNSTAIRS
All over DS
Replace carpeting with bamboo flooring
Add molding around window frames
Create and install screens to all windows

Kitchen
Add hardware to all cabinets and drawers
Create and install glass shelves in the window alcove/opening above the sink
Create and install floating cabinet above freezer to house bulk items, cook books and display
Add pull-out cabinet organizer to pots/pan lid cabinet
Install shelf dividers in cabinet above fridge
Build new base for oven/range so the surface is flush with counters
Install baseboard and toe kick underneath the dish washer
Buy and install a new sink
Add medallions around light fixtures
Replace dinky light above sink
Add task lighting underneath cabinets
Install bar to hang commonly used utensils from
Replace sliding glass door with French doors
Install new screen door
Extend cabinetry to the right of the fridge and create a kitchen island with more storage/counter space and a breakfast bar
Vent the oven to the outside--cover duct work with a soffit the runs the length of the cabinets

DS Bathroom
Dry-wall over existing door from DS master into bathroom
Move existing door from hallway into bathroom over three feet so it's centered on the wall
Create and install built-in cabinetry on new wall
Remove existing mirror
Add new mirror
Install a new light above the vanity (with its own separate switch)
Install vent fan above shower
Replace backsplash on vanity so it no longer clashes with granite of the countertop
Change height of pendant light
Remove and replace block of tiles on the shower deck that do not match the finish of the surrounding tiles

DS Master
Replace closet doors (mirrored doors just ain't cutting it)
Remove large mirror above fire place

Dining Room
Change height of pendant light
Create and add built-in closet to right of window
Create and add built-in cabinetry to left of window (with an open area for the fish tank to slide into)
Create and add window seat between new built in cabinetry
Dry-wall over existing side light windows into the bonus room
Dry-wall over existing door opening into the bonus room

Bonus Room
Dry-wall over existing side light windows into the dining room
Dry-wall over existing door opening into the dining room
Replace paned door from the hallway with a solid door
Frame in a closet

Living Room
Add air ducting and register to living room
Remove existing fireplace and mantle
Replace fireplace with a gas-insert unit
Create and add new fireplace mantel
Create and add built-in cabinetry on both sides of fireplace, including a closet
Add molding to create a coffered ceiling in the living room and dining room (to hide all the unevenness in the drywall!)
Rewire lights so they work independently of one another and replace light switch with a switch bank
Remove columns that lead into the kitchen--frame out and dry wall over
Remove columns that lead into the dining room--frame out and dry wall over

UPSTAIRS
Stairs
Patch hole in drywall
Replace stairway and make the incline more gradual.
Add internal closet under stairway (the existing closet is on the OUTside of the house)
Replace single-paned window in stair well with a double-paned window
Replace cheap-looking balusters and rails with something more in line with the overall look of the house

Master
Fix the leaky dormers
Organize walk-in closet

Office
Replace desk
Add more bookshelves for storage
Create and install pegboard for material organization
Fix the leaky dormers
Add permanent shelving storage to closet

Laundry Room
Add a removable shelf above washer/dryer that spans the length of the room and the width of the machines to prevent stuff from falling behind the appliances!!!
Properly vent the dryer
Replace carpeting with tile/vinyl/anythingbutcarpet
Install room spanning bar to air-dry clothing

Furniture Projects
Refinish the vintage Henredon bedroom furniture set I scored at ReStore
Refinish mid-century arm chair, upholster seat
Refinish both wood chairs, upholster seat/back
Complete the console table for the foyer
Make a sofa table
Make a large work table/drafting table for office
Make a laptop stand (John’s project!)
Refinish headboard from our first sleigh bed (it’s rather cheap, and the “finish” is starting to chip like crazy)
Build side tables for around the couch

POP THE TOP (the biggest dream of all time!)
Replace 5 tiny gabled dormers at the front of the house with two larger gabled dormers (one in the master, one in the new bedroom)
Add two more large gabled dormers (one in the master and the other in the new bathroom) with a bridge spanning the two (where the new master bath will be!). Similar (but much larger) to this.
Divide up the current large walk-through “bedroom” and separate laundry room into a third bath/laundry room, hallway, and actual bedroom
Add a balcony to master bedroom at backside of the house (new large gabled dormer would have doors that leads to the balcony)
Change opening into walk-in closet from the master bedroom
Replace current French doors and Juliet balcony in the master with windows
Add ceiling! Vent the attic! Add an attic fan! COOL THE UPSTAIRS!!!!!!!

Musical Chairs

I think I have delusions of grandeur.

My delusions deal with furniture restoration.

In the past, I've been able to deny my urge to rescue distraught furniture from dumpsters and street curbs and thrift stores.

It started with the big gold monster chair my dad snagged for me when I was a freshman in college. I don't really remember its providence (thrift store? back alley? port of authority? immigration holding cell??); I just remember that it rocked my world so much harder than any standard issue desk chair. Sometime mid-year, something--that might or might not have involved alcohol-fueled clumsiness (someone else's, I assure you!)--happened to it , and it became incredibly wobbly and would topple over at random times. You gotta understand that this chair was huge and heavy and swiveled on a pedestal base, and quite reminiscent of Martin Crane's chair in Frasier (you know, the big ugly arm chair that offended the minimalist sensibilities of the titular character):

I tried my best to resurrect the beast, but by the end of the year when it was time to move out of the dorm room and put my stuff in summer storage, I felt it was time to let go of the behemoth. It's probably sitting comfortably in the summer 1998 layer of the Canyon County landfill, being much loved by vermin.

When I moved down the California, my mom gave me a chic striped Asparagus Green and Amber velvet upholstered tub chair with a wooden frame and rattan inserts that was once my great aunt Clara's. It's a striking piece of furniture, and I love love love it. I've meant to re-upholster it for the last 8 years, and it's still on the to-do list (and keeps getting shifted further and further down).

My reupholstering delusions of grandeur are firmly rooted in how freaking easy Trading Spaces makes it look. If Hilde can do it, I reason, so can I!

But like I said, I've managed to keep my dark urges to rescue distraught chairs from the clutches of obscurity very very well.

Until we bought the house and started frequenting ReStore.

Meet our new friends at the house:

One of the six side chairs that came with our new-to-us dining room table. They're kind of ugly, but they're kind of growing on me. I think I can successfully spray paint the metal and change the fabric on the seat pretty easily, and they'll look infinitely better.

One of the two arm chairs that came with the dining room table. Albert likes the fabric on the seats--especially for scratching.Horray for ReStore! I got these next two beauties for $20 for both. I love their mid-century looks. The arm chair's latest home is up in our bedroom.The side chair I use as my computer chair. I used Restore-A-Finish on the side chair last night, and took the vinyl off the seat. I'll post pictures as soon as I have the new fabric in place. A few weeks ago at ReStore, we found these next two chairs sitting out front. They didn't have any seats/backs and looked shabby at first glance, but my heart was a-flutter because I loved their lines. A closer look at them, and I realized that they very likely came from a carpenter's workshop. They're solidly built, and will look magnificent once they're finished.

This is a detail shot of the chair's arm. You can see pencil marks on it, from where the craftsman had intended to carve out an art deco-esque pattern. I found some lovely Liz Clairborne upholstery fabric at Joann's that I think will look STUNNING on these chairs. I'm VERY excited!
This chair is just beautiful. It's vaguely neo-classical, and I just love it. I think I'll strip it, restain it a darker colour, and then use the same fabric I'm using for the chair above.

A detail of the carved legs.

Now that I'm done with my special Christmas project for all my family members, I can move onto my refurbishing dreams. Stay tuned!