I decided this morning (since I'm up so early) to look for yard sale postings on my local web pages, and I ran across an add for a house for sale. It came with a link to a YouTube video, and when the video got to the shot(s) of the basement I immediately recognized this as one of the jobs we installed last year. This was a rather huge (custom) entertainment centre, with turned columns, a very custom (oddly shaped) wine rack cabinet (to hide plumbing), and a fireplace mantel (which I mostly made myself).
Check it out!
Edit: The video thumbnail is actually the basement room I'm talking about.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Update For The Past Few Weeks (Part 2)
Bathroom Mirror
I think I already mentioned this, but I decided that I will use the antique mirror that I posted about a while back. Before I could just hang it up and enjoy it, I had to make sure it was sturdy and stable. This mirror is INSANELY HEAVY. I would guess that it weighs close to 20lbs. Most of the weight is in the mirror, which is about 3/8" thick (it's 1/4" thick at the edge before the bevel starts). This is one of the thickest mirrors I've seen (I have a handful of heavy antique mirrors, but most are about 1/4" thick.
Anyways, the mirror only had a flimsy old cardboard on the back holding the mirror. The frame is maple, and seems strong and stable, but I was afraid that the mirror may slip out the back, so I decided the replace the backing with an 1/8" hardboard (only a few bucks at HD). So I cut a piece to size, stained it an old brown to match, and tacked it in place with many nails (some of the originals that were still good, and many extras). I also decided to beef-up the hanging wire with a 14/2 copper electrical wire (with the black cover left on). The eye-screws on the mirror were very strong so they stayed there. I also added two felt squares to the bottom corners to keep from scuffing the wall.
While taking the mirror out to clean it and change the back, I found a 2 sheet spread (8 pages) from the Montreal Gazette dated to Sept 2 1922! This was a cool find, but nothing too exciting in the articles. There is an ad for a cruise from "White Star Line" (same company as the Titanic).
First, if you don't already know this, I ***LOVE*** antique mirrors. I have dozens. So you will excuse the excessive amount of photos of this mirror.
Cleaned:
The mirror is near perfect as far as flatness/reflection with the exception of this one spot near the lower third:
Another odd thing about this mirror is that the entire edge around it is chipped and ground. My only guess as to why, is that they cut it too tight for the frame? The grey patches look like finger prints, but they are in the silvering. I love this kind of character in old mirrors.
Here is one page of the newspaper:
View from the hallway (note that the mirror has a small lean away from the wall):
Office Outlet
No photo for this one, but it was still a job that took over an hour to do. I installed a new outlet for the phone/cable on the wall where the desk will be once this is officially the office.
L Room Closet Door Jamb
I milled, cut, sanded, assembled, and installed the door jamb for the closet in the L Room. Notice the top of the door in the photo. This is because of the slope in the floor.
Hallway Light Fixture
Lastly, some better photos of the upstairs hallway light fixture.
I think I already mentioned this, but I decided that I will use the antique mirror that I posted about a while back. Before I could just hang it up and enjoy it, I had to make sure it was sturdy and stable. This mirror is INSANELY HEAVY. I would guess that it weighs close to 20lbs. Most of the weight is in the mirror, which is about 3/8" thick (it's 1/4" thick at the edge before the bevel starts). This is one of the thickest mirrors I've seen (I have a handful of heavy antique mirrors, but most are about 1/4" thick.
Anyways, the mirror only had a flimsy old cardboard on the back holding the mirror. The frame is maple, and seems strong and stable, but I was afraid that the mirror may slip out the back, so I decided the replace the backing with an 1/8" hardboard (only a few bucks at HD). So I cut a piece to size, stained it an old brown to match, and tacked it in place with many nails (some of the originals that were still good, and many extras). I also decided to beef-up the hanging wire with a 14/2 copper electrical wire (with the black cover left on). The eye-screws on the mirror were very strong so they stayed there. I also added two felt squares to the bottom corners to keep from scuffing the wall.
While taking the mirror out to clean it and change the back, I found a 2 sheet spread (8 pages) from the Montreal Gazette dated to Sept 2 1922! This was a cool find, but nothing too exciting in the articles. There is an ad for a cruise from "White Star Line" (same company as the Titanic).
First, if you don't already know this, I ***LOVE*** antique mirrors. I have dozens. So you will excuse the excessive amount of photos of this mirror.
Cleaned:
The mirror is near perfect as far as flatness/reflection with the exception of this one spot near the lower third:
Another odd thing about this mirror is that the entire edge around it is chipped and ground. My only guess as to why, is that they cut it too tight for the frame? The grey patches look like finger prints, but they are in the silvering. I love this kind of character in old mirrors.
Here is one page of the newspaper:
View from the hallway (note that the mirror has a small lean away from the wall):
Office Outlet
No photo for this one, but it was still a job that took over an hour to do. I installed a new outlet for the phone/cable on the wall where the desk will be once this is officially the office.
L Room Closet Door Jamb
I milled, cut, sanded, assembled, and installed the door jamb for the closet in the L Room. Notice the top of the door in the photo. This is because of the slope in the floor.
Hallway Light Fixture
Lastly, some better photos of the upstairs hallway light fixture.
Update For The Past Few Weeks (Part 1)
First off, I want to thank my slowly increasing number of followers! I noticed the other day that I'm now up to 21. If you guys have renovation questions or photo requests, I'm happy to oblige. Just a few weeks back, when I posted photos of the upstairs hallway on Old House Web, I had a lady who wanted to see a better photo of the antique shade in the upstairs hallway, and I realized I didn't have a good shot of it, so I'm including one in this post (and over on OHW).
This will be a long post. My followers will know that it's been TWO WEEKS since I posted any photos, so this will be a collection of photos from all the ongoing projects I've been working on since then. As much as possible, these are listed in chronological-ish order.
I'm not sure how to cut a post with a "keep reading" type link, so if anyone knows how, let me know.
Bathroom Threshold
At work we call these a "transition moulding" but it's basically a length of wood with a taper on it. In my case, I needed to transition between the tiled bathroom floor to the old wood floor, which is a 1 1/4" difference. We have several tricks to make these, but they are fairly easy to make. I actually recently made one that was about 2 1/4" tall and 8" deep (and something like 3 feet long). That one was a monster.
Attic Door
The next project I started was the attic door. This is a project that I wanted to get done last year before winter, and I never got around to it until now. I had already remade the entire attic opening over a year ago, which I never posted about. Basically, like I did in the bathroom, I wanted the door to blend into the ceiling as much as possible, without any mouldings sticking out. I decided that to help keep the insulation in the attic from falling into the house, I'd also add basically a box around the opening, so I started with that. I bought some relatively inexpensive rough cedar (otherwise I would have gotten pine), about 8" wide, and made a simple box, screwed together.
This was actually done in Oct 2010! I specifically took step-by-step photos since I knew I'd be posting it, but I didn't think it would take this long!
With the box assembled, I fitted it into the opening, making sure it was square. It was installed high enough from the drywall to allow for a 4 piece wooden frame to act as the door support ledge around the hole.
The frame pieces were screwed in place, and then the gaps were stuffed with insulation, covered in mesh tape, and mudded.
And that's where the project ended. I just cut down the old (thin and warped) plywood door to fit, and then I went on to other projects. So this past 2 weeks, I finally finished this up.
Basically, I just had to cut a new 3/4" thick fir plywood to fit the opening, and to that, I attached some insulation, held in place with spare pieces of vapour barrier. Voila!
It sat as a flat panel like so, until yesterday:
Originally, I wanted to make just a flat, flush panel that would look invisible, but I thought that this would be impractical (since it would end up getting dented, scratched, etc. So I decided to go with something a bit more decorative. I was going to reuse some old scrap mouldings (on hand) but I didn't like the profiles that I had, and they were far too thin.
So I milled some pine, and routed them to look the same as the Roman Ogee detail trim pieces that I added around the windows.
I made those pieces into a frame, which I glued together using biscuits. This is the first time I get to use my biscuit joiner too!
Here's the frame in the clamps:
And sanded, glued/nailed to the door, and siliconed:
It's currently being painted (I just primed it about an hour ago).
Drywall / Corners
I finally went and picked up some drywall corners from HD to start finishing the boxes around the repaired duct work columns. I have kind of a funny side note to add here: It's pretty awkward to get into a Tim Horton's while carrying a bunch of these (which are 8 feet long), and even harder to leave, realizing that both your hands are full. Yeah. I'm pretty smart, but I definitely have my dumb moments. I managed to get out by just pushing the door with my arm.
I won't bore you with 10 photos of drywall. Everyone know what that looks like. But I'll include a few to show some interesting bits.
The office column had to have an access door, simply because they decided that this corner would be an awesome place to have 2 cable lines and the main phone line come into the house. Ugh. Whatever. I plan to make a cute mini door with casings around it, so I used plywood for sturdiness here.
Then in the dining room, you can see some mismatched drywall (I'm using any scraps I have on hand, which is why half is blue). The reason for these is to show off the arch mouldings that I installed in the dining room. This was the upper casing that used to be on the opposite side.
Colour Samples - Dining Room
Yellow is a bitch. I actually have about 6 different photos, and it's nearly impossible to get them to look right on camera. I only have one decent photo of the yellows. This photo shows samples of a brown (matched a while back off a light fixture - a failed project but I already had the sample), and two samples of some yellows that I liked on the swatches I've had up on the wall for a while.
Basically, I don't like any of them. The brown is too... brown (not gold enough and too dark), and both yellows are too bright (for me). They are very flashy in person, and they won't go well with my rather mellow colour palette so far. If I can't find the right golden shade, then I might just pick another colour altogether.
Also remember that I am planning wainscotting/a plate rail in this room. I want something along the lines of this:
Upstairs Window Openings
Nothing too exciting here, but I decided that both upstairs window openings will be sealed-up, insulated, and drywalled over. Sure the built-ins would be fun, but the way that the rooms are laid out makes furniture placement very awkward and impractical, so it will be flat wall. Both window openings (L Room and Guest Bed) are the same so I only photographed one.
Ok this is getting way too long so I'm making a Part 2.
This will be a long post. My followers will know that it's been TWO WEEKS since I posted any photos, so this will be a collection of photos from all the ongoing projects I've been working on since then. As much as possible, these are listed in chronological-ish order.
I'm not sure how to cut a post with a "keep reading" type link, so if anyone knows how, let me know.
Bathroom Threshold
At work we call these a "transition moulding" but it's basically a length of wood with a taper on it. In my case, I needed to transition between the tiled bathroom floor to the old wood floor, which is a 1 1/4" difference. We have several tricks to make these, but they are fairly easy to make. I actually recently made one that was about 2 1/4" tall and 8" deep (and something like 3 feet long). That one was a monster.
Attic Door
The next project I started was the attic door. This is a project that I wanted to get done last year before winter, and I never got around to it until now. I had already remade the entire attic opening over a year ago, which I never posted about. Basically, like I did in the bathroom, I wanted the door to blend into the ceiling as much as possible, without any mouldings sticking out. I decided that to help keep the insulation in the attic from falling into the house, I'd also add basically a box around the opening, so I started with that. I bought some relatively inexpensive rough cedar (otherwise I would have gotten pine), about 8" wide, and made a simple box, screwed together.
This was actually done in Oct 2010! I specifically took step-by-step photos since I knew I'd be posting it, but I didn't think it would take this long!
With the box assembled, I fitted it into the opening, making sure it was square. It was installed high enough from the drywall to allow for a 4 piece wooden frame to act as the door support ledge around the hole.
The frame pieces were screwed in place, and then the gaps were stuffed with insulation, covered in mesh tape, and mudded.
And that's where the project ended. I just cut down the old (thin and warped) plywood door to fit, and then I went on to other projects. So this past 2 weeks, I finally finished this up.
Basically, I just had to cut a new 3/4" thick fir plywood to fit the opening, and to that, I attached some insulation, held in place with spare pieces of vapour barrier. Voila!
It sat as a flat panel like so, until yesterday:
Originally, I wanted to make just a flat, flush panel that would look invisible, but I thought that this would be impractical (since it would end up getting dented, scratched, etc. So I decided to go with something a bit more decorative. I was going to reuse some old scrap mouldings (on hand) but I didn't like the profiles that I had, and they were far too thin.
So I milled some pine, and routed them to look the same as the Roman Ogee detail trim pieces that I added around the windows.
I made those pieces into a frame, which I glued together using biscuits. This is the first time I get to use my biscuit joiner too!
Here's the frame in the clamps:
And sanded, glued/nailed to the door, and siliconed:
It's currently being painted (I just primed it about an hour ago).
Drywall / Corners
I finally went and picked up some drywall corners from HD to start finishing the boxes around the repaired duct work columns. I have kind of a funny side note to add here: It's pretty awkward to get into a Tim Horton's while carrying a bunch of these (which are 8 feet long), and even harder to leave, realizing that both your hands are full. Yeah. I'm pretty smart, but I definitely have my dumb moments. I managed to get out by just pushing the door with my arm.
I won't bore you with 10 photos of drywall. Everyone know what that looks like. But I'll include a few to show some interesting bits.
The office column had to have an access door, simply because they decided that this corner would be an awesome place to have 2 cable lines and the main phone line come into the house. Ugh. Whatever. I plan to make a cute mini door with casings around it, so I used plywood for sturdiness here.
Then in the dining room, you can see some mismatched drywall (I'm using any scraps I have on hand, which is why half is blue). The reason for these is to show off the arch mouldings that I installed in the dining room. This was the upper casing that used to be on the opposite side.
Colour Samples - Dining Room
Yellow is a bitch. I actually have about 6 different photos, and it's nearly impossible to get them to look right on camera. I only have one decent photo of the yellows. This photo shows samples of a brown (matched a while back off a light fixture - a failed project but I already had the sample), and two samples of some yellows that I liked on the swatches I've had up on the wall for a while.
Basically, I don't like any of them. The brown is too... brown (not gold enough and too dark), and both yellows are too bright (for me). They are very flashy in person, and they won't go well with my rather mellow colour palette so far. If I can't find the right golden shade, then I might just pick another colour altogether.
Also remember that I am planning wainscotting/a plate rail in this room. I want something along the lines of this:
Upstairs Window Openings
Nothing too exciting here, but I decided that both upstairs window openings will be sealed-up, insulated, and drywalled over. Sure the built-ins would be fun, but the way that the rooms are laid out makes furniture placement very awkward and impractical, so it will be flat wall. Both window openings (L Room and Guest Bed) are the same so I only photographed one.
Ok this is getting way too long so I'm making a Part 2.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Update
I know you guys want photos, and I do want to post some soon, but no promises (probably next weekend).
I went for a "supply run" to HD over the weekend, so I should be able to work on a few projects during the week (mainly drywall and insulation).
I also picked up 2 colour samples of some yellows for the dining room. Both are so-so, but we'll see how they look once I prop them up in the room and see them in daylight. One looks a bit pale and wimpy, and the other one might be too bright and flashy. Dunno. Glad I only got samples. I might even get a third sample (a darker one).
Edit: Also, I finally ordered the parts that I need to finish-up the downstairs hall light fixture, and the one in the Master Bedroom.
Edit 2: Also, I took apart that antique beveled glass mirror (green one) to clean it and reinforce the back, since I'll be hanging it up in the bathroom to see if I like it. I basically made a whole new back for it from some 1/8" hardboard instead of the rather flimsy old cardboard that was there. In the process, I found a full 2 page spread (8 pages) from the Montreal Gazette dated Sept 1922 behind the mirror.
I went for a "supply run" to HD over the weekend, so I should be able to work on a few projects during the week (mainly drywall and insulation).
I also picked up 2 colour samples of some yellows for the dining room. Both are so-so, but we'll see how they look once I prop them up in the room and see them in daylight. One looks a bit pale and wimpy, and the other one might be too bright and flashy. Dunno. Glad I only got samples. I might even get a third sample (a darker one).
Edit: Also, I finally ordered the parts that I need to finish-up the downstairs hall light fixture, and the one in the Master Bedroom.
Edit 2: Also, I took apart that antique beveled glass mirror (green one) to clean it and reinforce the back, since I'll be hanging it up in the bathroom to see if I like it. I basically made a whole new back for it from some 1/8" hardboard instead of the rather flimsy old cardboard that was there. In the process, I found a full 2 page spread (8 pages) from the Montreal Gazette dated Sept 1922 behind the mirror.
Sunday, April 01, 2012
Ugh.
Sorry for being such an absentee blogger lately. I've been busy helping out my friends with their bathroom in most of my free time for the past 2 weeks. The tiles are installed, grouted, and sealed. Dev kind of wanted help installing the new window, too, but I won't have time this weekend.
I did find a bit of time to do some work on MY house. I bought and installed some drywall corners for the repaired duct work columns on the main floor (4 so far - one that I haven't decided how to fix yet, and one will be a plumbing stack in the kitchen to do later). I did end up putting-up drywall and a spot for an access door on the stack in the Office. I plan to make a miniature panel door with smaller scale casings around it. I need access to this one since the main phone line comes into the house from this corner, as well as two cable lines.
I also (today) FINALLY made the new attic door, which has been on my to-do list since last year. It's just a piece of 3/4" Fir plywood with some insulation on one side. I changed my mind about how I want to finish it. Originally I wanted just a flat panel, flush with the ceiling (mostly invisible), but I decided that I want to do a recessed frame with mouldings.
I also patched-up the two upstairs window openings with some vapour barrier (in prep for insulation, then studs, and drywall). I also nailed down and puttied the transition trip for the bathroom threshold.
That's about all I got done, other than a bit of cleaning in the garage, and more patching on the dining room casings (arch).
I am really hoping that I can go for a supply run with Mom to pick up some insulation, mud, and other supplies.
I did find a bit of time to do some work on MY house. I bought and installed some drywall corners for the repaired duct work columns on the main floor (4 so far - one that I haven't decided how to fix yet, and one will be a plumbing stack in the kitchen to do later). I did end up putting-up drywall and a spot for an access door on the stack in the Office. I plan to make a miniature panel door with smaller scale casings around it. I need access to this one since the main phone line comes into the house from this corner, as well as two cable lines.
I also (today) FINALLY made the new attic door, which has been on my to-do list since last year. It's just a piece of 3/4" Fir plywood with some insulation on one side. I changed my mind about how I want to finish it. Originally I wanted just a flat panel, flush with the ceiling (mostly invisible), but I decided that I want to do a recessed frame with mouldings.
I also patched-up the two upstairs window openings with some vapour barrier (in prep for insulation, then studs, and drywall). I also nailed down and puttied the transition trip for the bathroom threshold.
That's about all I got done, other than a bit of cleaning in the garage, and more patching on the dining room casings (arch).
I am really hoping that I can go for a supply run with Mom to pick up some insulation, mud, and other supplies.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Last Post for the Weekend (Probably)
Some of you might be curious about the clock I purchased recently. It arrived in the mail earlier this week (which was fast!)
I'm thrilled with it. It's incredibly heavy and well made for its size, and it's actually in working condition (although I will clean it before I decide to keep it running full time).
The front is decorated with a cherub, putti, birds, fruit, and leaves. There are, however, two carvings in the lower corners, and I'm not sure what they are meant to represent. One looks like it has a hammer (left), and one looks like it has two horns (right).
I'm not sure what this fellow is supposed to represent. He almost looks like "The Fool" depicted in Tarot decks, but not quite. I have no idea what he's carrying.
This figure, however, is definitely "The Hermit" as depicted in tarot decks, complete with walking stick, cloak, and lantern, except that the hermit is usually carrying the lantern at eye level.
The movement is an 8 day lever timepiece by Empire (roughly 1920-30). I know little about this company, other than they made a very large variety of clocks, including wall clocks, and reproduction clocks. The company was eventually bought-out by Smiths.
All the engravings appear to be done by hand (as opposed to etched or machine engraved). This is also true of the dial numerals, which show several imperfections and inconsistencies (all of which are a bonus to me, since it looks more handmade like an older clock). The only shortfall on the entire clock are the hands, which are a tad thin.
And to put things in perspective, this is a pretty small clock, so this photo should give you a much better idea of the size.
I'm thrilled with it. It's incredibly heavy and well made for its size, and it's actually in working condition (although I will clean it before I decide to keep it running full time).
The front is decorated with a cherub, putti, birds, fruit, and leaves. There are, however, two carvings in the lower corners, and I'm not sure what they are meant to represent. One looks like it has a hammer (left), and one looks like it has two horns (right).
I'm not sure what this fellow is supposed to represent. He almost looks like "The Fool" depicted in Tarot decks, but not quite. I have no idea what he's carrying.
This figure, however, is definitely "The Hermit" as depicted in tarot decks, complete with walking stick, cloak, and lantern, except that the hermit is usually carrying the lantern at eye level.
The movement is an 8 day lever timepiece by Empire (roughly 1920-30). I know little about this company, other than they made a very large variety of clocks, including wall clocks, and reproduction clocks. The company was eventually bought-out by Smiths.
All the engravings appear to be done by hand (as opposed to etched or machine engraved). This is also true of the dial numerals, which show several imperfections and inconsistencies (all of which are a bonus to me, since it looks more handmade like an older clock). The only shortfall on the entire clock are the hands, which are a tad thin.
And to put things in perspective, this is a pretty small clock, so this photo should give you a much better idea of the size.
Inverarden House
This post will be specifically about Inverarden House.
This is a wonderful old house, built in 1816. I remember being there only once as a child when they were having some kind of tag sale or charity yard sale there. It was so long ago that all I remember was the climb up the front steps.
As far as I can remember, it's been closed to the public, and I've wanted to go visit for years. I've even written to some of the people in charge, and only more recently there's been talk about continuing with restorations to the house.
This past Friday, I was dropped off after work near the house, so I decided to walk up to it and see it in person.
The history and information about the house can be found here:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/inverarden/natcul.aspx
Seeing the house up-close left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, the house appears to be in fairly good shape, but upon closer inspection, you can clearly see that it needs thousands of dollars in restoration. Everything from peeling paint, rotted wood trim, broken windows (I can only assume since some are boarded up), and brick work on the chimneys.
But I thought many of you might like to see it.
From the road:
Walking up to the house:
Wonderful porch details:
The back of the house:
Window details show that it originally had operable shutters:
Front entrance details:
Yes that's a bird's nest.
I managed to take a few shots from the front window, but the glass was very dirty, so these shots are blurry. But you can get an idea of the interior, since there aren't any photos of it elsewhere on the web (that I know of).
You can see original 6 panel doors, and some kind of odd electrical panel by the door (possibly also a bell/call system - it was too hard to see):
The corner blocks of the casings were a sort of pyramid shape, which you can kind of see here:
Picture rails:
The wonderful view from the front porch (St.-Lawrence River):
This is a wonderful old house, built in 1816. I remember being there only once as a child when they were having some kind of tag sale or charity yard sale there. It was so long ago that all I remember was the climb up the front steps.
As far as I can remember, it's been closed to the public, and I've wanted to go visit for years. I've even written to some of the people in charge, and only more recently there's been talk about continuing with restorations to the house.
This past Friday, I was dropped off after work near the house, so I decided to walk up to it and see it in person.
The history and information about the house can be found here:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/on/inverarden/natcul.aspx
Seeing the house up-close left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, the house appears to be in fairly good shape, but upon closer inspection, you can clearly see that it needs thousands of dollars in restoration. Everything from peeling paint, rotted wood trim, broken windows (I can only assume since some are boarded up), and brick work on the chimneys.
But I thought many of you might like to see it.
From the road:
Walking up to the house:
Wonderful porch details:
The back of the house:
Window details show that it originally had operable shutters:
Front entrance details:
Yes that's a bird's nest.
I managed to take a few shots from the front window, but the glass was very dirty, so these shots are blurry. But you can get an idea of the interior, since there aren't any photos of it elsewhere on the web (that I know of).
You can see original 6 panel doors, and some kind of odd electrical panel by the door (possibly also a bell/call system - it was too hard to see):
The corner blocks of the casings were a sort of pyramid shape, which you can kind of see here:
Picture rails:
The wonderful view from the front porch (St.-Lawrence River):
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