Well, after work we installed the windows. There were 5 windows in total, 4 by 4 and it took us 1 1/2 hours to staple tyrex around the windows, carry the windows over, level them with shims, and nail them in.  Of course, I didn’t do all the nails. We didn’t have enough time, but we put enough in that they’ll stay there and I finish that job off tomorrow. Sometimes a renovation project is just an hour here, two hours there. You do it when you can. Cost of the windows for the garage, $750. Because this is Stevie’s garage, we’re going to install welded bars inside those windows with locks to prevent break-ins. Anyway, we went into the house right before dark.
October 27, 2008
The Deck
We did a lot of work on the deck this weekend. I finally broke down and purchase the decking materials. It was twice as much as I expected because prices had gone up and we needed more than I figured on. Did I say I was going to be broke, broke, broke? 
 However, I’m beginning to believe that I will be sitting in my hot tub, on the deck, this weekend.
Of course, we’re just laying out the strips and figuring out the spacing right now. We had 180 joist hangers to nail up and that’s the time consuming part. Here’s a picture of one.
Each one takes 10 nails. Steve can do one about every 5 minutes. It takes me about 8 minutes and you have to pound away in awkward positions. Man, my back and legs were hurting yesterday.Â
The Kitchen Island
I have always wanted a kitchen island. A nice spacious kitchen island. We couldn’t afford to have a total kitchen remodel done, but I still wanted the functionality. We purchased the kitchen island granite at an auction 6 months ago. It went for $150. Absolute black. It is 6 foot long and 37 inches wide.
We found a kitchen island carcass that someone was selling on craig’s list 6 months ago. We purchased that for $75 dollars. It’s a little beatup and needed cleaning, but nothing that a little elbow grease won’t fix. I finally got into the kitchen yesterday. Still have to affix it to the floor, refinish it (have started on one door), and we need to wait to do all that before we put the granite ontop, but until that time, we threw on top of it, a luan hollow door we picked up at home depot for 5 bucks. I wanted to get an idea of placement, where we would end up putting the kitchen island in the kitchen, how we would center it, how much room we would have around it, how it would work for me when doing kitchen prep, etc. I really need try something out before I buy it, if at all possible. Anyway, here’s what the test looks like.
Not bad for $80 bucks and some elbow grease. We’re going to wire it on both sides. I already applied for that electrical permit. Like I said, I took that door off to see how well it’s going to work to strip off the varnish and restain it. This is not as easy as it is often talked about on the do it yourself magazines. It took me a day to strip off the varnish off both sides of the door (this is a small door), and I still need to do sanding. It comes off like wax, and I’m using a product called Klean Kutter Refinisher. We plan to refinish the cabinets all throughout the kitchen and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do that. I think it’s one thing to repaint, and it’s another to restain. We will see. I also think we’re not going to have room for that kitchen table on the side. It’s just a clutter holder anyway. I’m thinking about putting windowseats in that area. It’s a narrow bumpout, not really a breakfast nook and things on it, obstruct our view of the lake.
The Garage Floor
Here’s a breakdown of pictures, lessons learned, and what we spent on the garage floor. We decided on 6 inch floor, 1156 square feet, with fiberglass mix in the concrete. We could have gotten by with 4 inches, but we wanted the extra strength on the floor. We also decided to add 6 mil plastic underneath the concrete to do what we could to prevent moisture from coming up through the concrete, but this also increased the amount of drying time because the water in the concrete mix had no where to go so we had to wait a couple of days for it evaporate, and we hadn’t planned on that extra time. We also laid down rebar.
We used 22 yards of concrete from Bomac, at $94 a yard which included the fiber. We also needed the pump truck for most of the day, and that ran at $400. Here’s how the costs broke down:
- $2450 for concrete
- $400 for concrete pumpÂ
- $450 for rebar and plastic
- $1000 for knowledge and labor
- $180 to rent the concrete power troweller
- Â $120 to rent the concrete diamond saw to cut the expansion joints after it dried
- $50 for propane to help heat the area to speed drying
Total costs for the concrete floor was $4460 which was bargain considering the size of the floor.
Here the guys are waiting for the concrete truck to arrive. It was late. Should have been here 15 minutes ago.
Concrete is being poured.
Concrete pour under the door opening.
Waiting for the second truck to arrive. With 22 yards of concrete, we needed 2 trucks.
Strong Arm Pumping pushing the concrete through the pump truck.Â
The guys taking a break. I made 3 dozen scrambled eggs, 2 pounds of sausage and 3 pounds of bacon, 2 loaves of bread and 4 gallons of coffee for breakfast. We had 8 helps, thank you very much. This is not a job for just the home owner on the weekend. The more the help the merrier. It is hard work.
Waiting for the floor to dry. This was a long wait. We had 2 propane blowing heaters going at the same time.
Tada! The concrete floor.
October 18, 2008
Kitchen Cabinets
I just bought 3 7 foot cabinets, 18″ wide, to replace what we took out when we removed the pantry.   They’re not the quality I was hoping for, but then what do you expect for $250 a cabinet. That said, there is a lot that I can do to make then indistinguishable from the cabinets that are in my kitchen now, and I might even be able to improve the look. They add an incredible amount of functionality. They only came with 2 shelves each, and I figured that I could use 3 more per cabinet, so I purchased 3 sheets of laminate plywood, close to the same width, and Home Depot cut them down to size for me, so I came away with 9 shelves for 50 bucks.Â
 
Here’s a really great article about the quality of cabinets, these days.Â
October 12, 2008
The Garage Floor Was Poured Yesterday and I Can’t Quite Talk About It Yet
Steve didn’t get to sleep until 3 this morning. It’s set but not quite dry. I can’t quite talk about the experience yet. I’m too exhausted. There is mud and dirt everywhere. I decided to start by cleaning the kitchen, and work my way from there, since I have 3 day weekend. I found a really good article about kitchen cleaning at Cleaning up the Kitchen’s for the Holidays. Of course, this doesn’t quite describe the degree of work that I’ve got to do. The doors were left open almost all day yesterday. I have no screens so there is the problem of the flies, and suddenly I realize that there is significant grease built up on the kitchen cabinest, and that over the cabinets is a bad place to put knick knacks, at least not if you cook to any degree. Yuck.
October 7, 2008
Fall/Winter is here
It’s well into fall, and the way it’s been raining lately, it feels real close to winter. We’re doing the concrete floor pour this weekend, and it’s been a muddy mess. Steve skimmed off a top layer of gravel and dirt in the garage, to get it ready for the pour. It took a day and a half. We are doing a 6 inch floor. With the kind of vehicle traffic that Stevie likes to work on, I want a solid garage floor. We’re planning on pouring 22 yards of concrete plus a cleanup. For those who are unfamiliar with that term (like me), it means that concrete firm will have ready another load of concrete ready for you, regardless of how much or how little you need, and won’t charge you more than the $35 delivery fee. Which is great, because we’re also planning on pouring the concrete forms for the deck. Believe it or not, that project is still on schedule. The concrete forms are all built, and Steve plans to dig the holes for those forms tonight. I can’t believe we’re doing everything we’re doing. I’m going to be broke, broke, broke. Plus, I need to send an e-mail to my home insurance rep today. I want to make sure that the garage is covered, after all we’ve been through.