Topping off a contractor job with a little DIY

The fence is finally in, after a month of waiting to get things cleared up with ComEd. In the end it was good to wait, b/c it gave us more time to come up with a better overall plan for how to put things up. Instead of running along a walkway and leaving the deck open, we had them turn the fence directly into the house. So now we have one big yard along the back and side of the house.

One downside, after I talked to the fencing company about trying this, they apparently forgot to tell the crew so they didn’t have a second set of gate hardware. So there’s a big gate in the front for a mower (you can see it in the background with the diagonal support), and no gate for the walkway.

I was just happy to have a fence up but eventually we’re going to need a gate at the walkway. So with a few 2x4s and a hardware kit I got to cutting one in myself. Nothing like paying two grand for something and still having to finish it to your liking on your own. You know what I’m about to say about that. 

Looks nice, not very functional.

The additional supports didn't look too out of place at least.

I'm no structural engineer but I think everything is steady enough with this on to be okay. Before I cut anything I clamped a 2x4 along the top as support. That way I could cut my opening and not have it fall on me. Plus I could help keep things level putting it back on that way too. This would have been an easier job with a second pair of hands around but I managed okay on my own. 

This was a 'no turning back' point...

I could have saved a few bucks piecing this out but for getting all the hardware in one kit sounded more appealing to me at this point (how could they not have more than one of these on the truck? I literally saw dozens two seconds away from my house). I’m more worried about making sure the whole thing doesn’t sag since the main posts are almost 7 feet apart. Hence kregging multiple 2x4’s into the post and framing off those. I don’t think this gate will get much use actually, but I want the whole thing to be solid enough to still function as a fence without adding another post too.

A hole in my brand new fence was actually very upsetting.

Took a break for the drill to charge at this point. It was damn hot out!

On top of the gate, there’s a ton of dirt to still move, and plenty re-seeding to do around all the posts. Something that was supposed to make life easier sure does seem to be making things difficult right now. Did I mention today there was a triple digit heat index? Good times. And the wife wants to stain the whole thing? Woof.

At least they fit; frames part II

So with the frames together I had to figure out how best to keep the canvases where I want them. In theory I could screw through the back of the frame and into the canvas but that sounds like it would take more precision than I’m really comfortable with. I’m looking for more of a glue or 3M solution.

That's not a bad corner close up.

As it so happens, I randomly had 3M stickers just laying around. Where did they come from? What abandoned project was never completed with them? Who knows. But they seem like an ideal alternative to drilling actual holes in something I painted. They lasted through the first night so fingers crossed.

It's not all completely straight but they're not terrible.

I realize these aren’t mindblowing but until I get around to painting something else I think they look pretty good. And since I doubt the wife will be okay with me putting a Battle of the Bastards painting up in the living room they’ll probably stay up a long time. With the frames on now they look like they’re up for it.

floater frame

When we were staging our condo to show (almost a whole year ago, wow) I had some spare time so instead of renting/buying art to put up I painted a few things. DIY strikes again! And as a glimpse of things to come, I loved what we ended up with while the wife wasn’t 100% convinced.

She was on-board with the two large pieces though, and they’ve made it into our new living room on nails that the previous owner left in the wall. Putting these up helped a new house instantly feel more like home, and they’ve stayed up even though I initially just put them on the wall to help get them out of the way when we moved in.

They're 24x30

That was eight months ago, and I painted these a year ago almost to the day. So to commemorate the occasion I used another day off to make a materials run and put together some DIY floater frames for our DIY masterpieces. I know, anything to distract from finishing the rest of the basement.

All I had in mind was just a larger version of the frame for Payton’s picture, turned backwards so the canvas can be attached to the inside lip, leaving the outside to surround the canvas with a little gap. I think white is a good starting point but to give it some additional depth, I decided to spray the inner lip with the dark blue paint I had around. Hopefully it compliments the blues in each painting without taking focus away.

In my excitement to get these done I ended up buying more 1x2 than I really needed, and had just enough left over to slap together a display for my Notre Dame banner too. More on that later though.

All in all these weren’t a difficult build. Using two paint colors slowed things down a bit as I let things dry, and not all the corners were the sharpest when I put everything together but all in all they ended up looking pretty good. Using wood joiners helped speed things up too, I with I had thought to use them a long time ago. We’ll see how well the paintings actually go in later this week.

Planning for the spacing; shooting for an extra 1/8 inch surround

All the cuts plus the outer frame plane

About to get the spray paint out

Fixing a bit of mess on a corner

Glued and drying

By the way, the other two the wife wasn’t entirely crazy about? Just went up in the nearly finished basement while I wait to see when I can tile over the fireplace. Hey, art is subjective and I still like them. At least they’ve found a spot, maybe they'll get frames next.

I don't care, I like these

 Purchase list:

6 8 foot 1x2"s

but it has to be the right finish to make a difference...

I liked how my little media stand came together, but I wasn’t crazy about the white painted legs in combination with the sealed walnut stain. So while the last coat of seal was drying I knocked them off and went looking for some other cheap & easy options. 

Granted, I have enough scrap around that if inspiration struck I might be able to cut/carve something else myself. But I’m not sure how I would finish them since I thought white would work and was clearly wrong. So after a quick search I found these on Amazon and had them in-hand two days later. 

although not including hardware had me hunting for screws

Looking at it now, I do think buying an extra board and building it a little taller would have made it slightly more practical, but I like what I ended up with. It looks a lot better under the tv than the stool does for sure, and there’s still room for whatever gaming system I can talk the wife into later. Hopefully we can stop losing the roku remote now too, since that thing is tiny.

Huh, maybe I should add some hardboard to the back there.

 (additional) purchase list:

Set of 4 3” legs

Finishes make all the difference

I don’t know if it was just wanting to take a break or if having the couch and tv there just clogged things up for while, but progress had stalled on the basement recently. So this weekend I dragged myself to Lowes to get some door and window trim.

I had a lightbulb moment this weekend where I realized I needed to trim the doors before getting baseboard in, so that moved up the priority list. But it also probably changed my plans for the baseboard anyway, since painting 1x4 pine boards hasn't been going great and I probably need something a little more flexible.

Having a HD basically across the street is super easy, but it’s not the best in terms of molding and trim options. So I went a little out of my way to a Lowes about 20 minutes away and it was great. Sunday afternoon, no one around, I think it might be worth it to go there all the time based on that trip. But I came home with a car full of molding; three door sets b/c it kept thing simple, then 6 7 ft lengths of matching trim in wood, and 5 in foam b/c some of the wood was in pretty rough shape. 

7 ft lengths are easy after 10 and 12 ft stuff.

Without a nail gun I wasn’t sure how this would go but some glue and a handful of finishing nails seems to be doing the trick. The kits still need a little trimming b/c our doors are short and skinny, but cutting my own for the sliding door seemed to be fine too. Just like the molding, even in it’s rough state things look so much better with the trim on. One step closer.

Some of this drywall/mud around the doors is pretty terrible...

But that's why trim is important! That looks better just testing the fit.

Going in the afternoon, I had time to get one normal door and a sliding door done before everyone told me to stop. Hammering finish nails is not a quiet activity. Hopefully I can get these done this week, and they'll still need to be filled, caulked, and painted, but for a little over $100 I’ll have trimmed three hanging doors, two sliding doors, and three windows. And once that’s done, we can talk baseboards, and now I know to go back to Lowes to find something that works. I can see the finish line, and I’m slowly inching toward it.

Purchase list: 

3 sets pre-mitered trim
6 7ft lengths wood trim
5 7 ft lengths foam trim (the math says 35 ft is enough, we’ll see…)