My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #4

Some problems with my digital camera (actually the SmartMedia card reader) have kept me from posting pictures of the progress on my living room remodel, but a few blasts of compressed air fixed the problem.

Some of the things that have been accomplished since the last update: walls textured, ceiling repaired and textured, trim painted, doors painted, walls painted, ceiling painted, Decora electrical outlets installed, thermostat moved, top layer of subfloor removed, and bottom layer of subfloor screwed down (to eliminate the squeaks).


Items remaining: finish installing new subfloor, install new bamboo flooring, install trim molding (base, windows, and crown), install outlets for surround sound, install speaker mounting brackets, install concrete board around fireplace, install tile around fireplace, install fireplace mantel.

A heartfelt thanks on Memorial Day

Despite the chasm separating my political beliefs with those of some family members, I made a phone call today to thank my aunt and uncle for their most painful sacrifice to our nation. Tim, their son and my cousin, was an Air Force Academy graduate and Lieutenant in the Air Force. Tim was killed 21 years ago on a night training flight in south Georgia. As a parent, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child ever dulls.

If you don't have a friend or family member who has died in service to our country, know there have been 3,452 American military men and women sacrificed to the cause of war in Iraq since March, 2003. Regardless of your political beliefs, today is a day to remember their final sacrifice. I have.

My home, my castle: Living room renovation - Weekend update #3

Last weekend was another one spent doing drywall & electrical. I insulated the chimney, framed out the wall so I'd have something to staple insulation to, re-ran the electrical for the outlet in the mantle, and put up a 4'x8' sheet of drywall.

Not much progress happened this week as I needed to do yardwork on the vacant rental house, but I should have the walls textured this weekend.

The dangers of DIY... stories you won't hear on HGTV

While I've had my share of home improvement accidents... falling off a roof, falling through a ceiling, smashing fingers with a hammer, and severe burns from dripping solder while plumbing... I've never experienced anything that came close to being life-threatening. Others aren't so fortunate, and The New York Times has an article today on the dangers of do it yourself home repair. Warning: this article isn't for the squeamish.