Dimensional Wall Panels

   Over time it became clear that our staircase needed a little something extra to stand out in it's all-white surroundings. We followed a similar program to our last remodel, the drywall was simply repaired, and painted white. The handrail was a rather plain Honey Oak stain that was ubiquitous in the 1990's.

   Our inspiration came from a serving bowl made out of Acacia, this species of wood has a wide range of natural tones that complemented the existing trim color very nicely. This find led me to researching exotic wood building materials, and I discovered these Acacia dimensional wall panels.
   This particular panel system was advertised as peel and stick, but that was a little deceptive. The panels took a fair amount of manipulation to actually achieve a professional look. That desire to reach a tight, modern standard pushes this product to its very limits, and requires many more hours of finesse work to achieve those results. A far cry from just slapping it up on a Sunday afternoon.
   As always, you should inspect the entire shipment, not just the top box on the pallet. The product delivered was far below the quality advertised in the two samples I had previously received. The specs were also wrong, resulting in much shorter pieces, and twice the number of seams in the field. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what we had planned on for the initial installation. The layout had to be well thought out in order to disguise the additional seams.

   Several reviewers had suggested using adhesive and fasteners along with the included double-sided tape. I recommend following the same practice, I used PL375 for the construction adhesive and a staple gun with 5/8" brads to tack the edges hidden by the overlapping seams. Another essential tool was a thin putty knife. There are situations where it makes more sense to pop off one of the individual strips just to ease the panel into place. This was especially true when basket weaving the corner seams.

   I am proud of the final result, however the product looks good because of my attention to detail and working at a consistent level through completion. To be fair, I chose a very large wall. I also wanted it to wrap inside a corner, which the company did not demonstrate, or represent as possible. I would not discourage using this product, I just want you to have a realistic expectation of the time and labor involved when deciding whether to try it out for yourself.

IKEA Countertop - Backsplash Hack

   The kitchen was a mess, and I had avoided this intervention since day one. I swear I used the sink with my eyes closed for the first month. Before I even pulled a line, I knew there was a severe sag in the countertop. There turned out to be a one inch dip in the middle, for no obvious reason. The only solution seemed to be yanking out all the cabinets, and reinstalling them. I bit the bullet, and removed the cast iron sink, only to find the original cabinet had been previously butchered. I would spend the next couple days trying to rebuild the base and level out the 12' run for the new counters.

   We chose to replace the original delaminating countertops with a black mineral effect laminate from Ikea. We were nicely surprised by the finish, and even more impressed by the $240 total cost for our project.
   The surface is lightly textured and looks better than the smooth surfaces at the big box stores, even five feet away it could pass for manufactured stone. The whole kitchen took four, 6' sections. The island was a perfect swap out, with instant gratification. The rest would take patience and precision to achieve the desired results.
   Once the sink base was reconstructed, it magically resolved all the leveling issues and only took one small shim. Much relieved to not have to take apart the whole kitchen, I started test fitting the countertop slabs. The overhang on the front was too deep for this dated style of oak cabinets. Because the walls were fairly true, it made sense to rip a half inch off the back edge of all the pieces. By accident, I realized the waste strip would look sharp as a shallow backsplash. We had opted to hold on installing the full tile backsplash for budget reasons, not to mention the walls had just been fixed and looked great.
   Another trick I learned when finishing dark laminates is to stain the thin, raw edge revealed on the end piece overlays. Typically the base material is a medium brown and it detracts from the overall appearance. Guide the broad edge of a new, black Sharpie over the edge at a 45 degree angle. Immediately drag a paper towel over the wet marker line and it will buff out to make the ends look seamless. If you make a mistake, use rubbing alcohol to clean it up.
   The rest of the kitchen still needs the finishing details fleshed out. Knobs and handles, as well as the floating shelves will be added soon with before & after photos on the way. There will be several more related posts that cover the individual components of our economical reformation.

Updated Updates

   One objective of our current, subtle renovation is to take the cookie-cutter colonial and blow it out to feel as large and fresh as possible. These pictures are admittedly not as dramatic as the last remodel, where we resurrected a shaggy abode out of its pure 1970's funk. In this house we learned that the early nineties had its own issues, mostly just bland design.

  
   The only, truly horrible problem with this house was the poorly chosen color palette in the interior. There are no less than five shades of soul-sucking beige, and to drive the point home they have a very flat sheen, robbing the interior of any hope of daylight. The colors also work against the hardwood floors which were the only selling point in the listing.
   My go-to approach for paint selection is the white canvas. I start by returning all the walls and trim to a neutral white. I first adopted this palette years ago to showcase our art collection, but I soon recognized the more important side effect of bouncing light and breathing air into any space.
   The family room had unnecessary crown molding and the decision was made to remove it, resulting in cleaner lines, while emphasizing the tall ceilings. Our initial inspections missed the sloppy masonry repair work on the fireplace. It would have taken a tremendous effort to clean and restore it. The dowdy red brick color was also in conflict with the upscale flooring. We pushed forward with the trendy, white brick paint job which yielded greater punch to the honey tones in the wood floor
   There are still small details to add, but I wanted to share the latest alterations. An unexpected result of this room's completion was a sense of renewal and purpose. All of my framed artwork has been wrapped up for over a year and I forgot how comforting it is to see "your stuff." My wife has patiently waited while I bounce around to extinguish small fires and fix necessities that supersede cosmetic updates. I would have to say that she is also very pleased to have at least one room that feels like home.

Anniversary Edition

   This is not my dream home. I have already gone over my general disgust of the bland exterior and the homogeneous neighborhood that I look upon everyday. The objective moving back was to land in Ohio and transition quickly in order to retain continuity for the kids. The successive goals were a new job for my wife, and then look for our dream home after that. While my wife is embarking on a new career, our eyes have turned back to internet property searches.
   The experience of the super-size home has been informing, it has shown me how much house we really need. During the interior makeover, we have been comfortable without the fourth bedroom and third bath. The formal dining room and living room have proven to be superfluous as well. That is easily a thousand square feet that is just unneeded, extra space. It also reminded me that I could do without neighbors all together. Most importantly, architecture does matter when it comes to home pride.

   There is only so much you can do with one of these vinyl boxes. The color is Green Cell Grey, or is it Grey Sell Green? Either way, it is sun faded and ill. We chose to push the palette towards blue grey and breathe some life with the addition of new dimensional shingles. Black sconces, and replacement shutters added a meager amount of punch to the features, much better than the lifeless brass and earthtones. The house was also hiding behind overgrown landscaping that needed love and definition.
   Whether we stay or go, I need to slog through the remaining projects in order to have the house staged and ready to sell. I will continue to document the changes and supply more of the "before and after" photos....Whoa! that is one heavy post, reminder to self, do not write after a long gruelling day.

The Porcelain Light Fixture Shade

   Does laziness breed invention? It does not sound like it would. As easy as it is to swap out light fixtures, I have already installed a lifetime's worth. This discussion of invention revolves around the bare bulb lampholders throughout my unfinished basement. The ubiquitous pull-chain light socket that inevitably fails when rushing to some emergency in the nether region of your home.
   All drama aside, it would be nice to come down to this storage area without being blinded by the rather intense, naked LED bulbs. I had already taken the time to install a switch that controls all six porcelain fixtures on the same circuit. Much nicer than fumbling about to manually turn each light on. Still though, this just instantly activates the severe lighting, emphasizing the problem further.
   I could have installed simple flush mount lamps with plastic globes like I have before, but this is an additional hassle and twice the expense. While looking at interior lighting at Lowes, I spotted a simple shade meant for candelabra bulbs. They would not work out-of-the-box because the bulb clips were too small, but I felt it was worth pursuing because of the aforementioned reasons.
   Initially I planned on bending the wire or trimming it to fit a larger bulb, but the armature's welds were feeble and they kept snapping off. After a minute of frustration, I decided to use this to my advantage and easily gutted all the shades. All I had to do now was cut my own hanger out of scrap wood. A simple rectangle with a hole in the center for the collar of the bulb and the mission was accomplished. The result is a simple shade that diffuses the light and installs as easy as screwing in a light bulb.

Best Electric Fireplace Log Insert

   The desire to heat oneself in front of an open flame goes back to the primal origins of man. Last winter there were many new, standalone fireplaces on the market that provided a more believable, yet synthetic fireplace experience. It seemed like every bookcase and entertainment center in stores boasted one of these efficient, glowing space heaters. None actually contained fire, but the realistic effect sparked an interest in revamping our tired old hearth.
   We had burnt very little wood in our 1970's fireplace. Like most open-hearth designs, it proved to be terribly inefficient and actually made the living room colder by drafting all of the heat out of the room. The brick monolith did have a strong presence in the space and we felt it would be nice to animate this feature.

  
   At first, I tried a Duraflame unit with a heater, but it smelled really bad as it produced heat. This also presented another big problem, the fact that the log set was inside of the firebox, it kept shutting off the internal thermostat. It did not look very convincing either, so with all of these flaws, it did not justify the expense.
   Another approach was needed, so I ordered a rather inexpensive electric log set. Providing heat was not as important to us as the illusion of a real fire. The Pleasant Heart Crackling Log set was perfect because it was simple and actually made out of wood. Hard to beat the real material when comparing to other plastic sets. By adding a few cut branches from my yard I was able to make it look even more realistic. The trick to making the additional wood match the rest of the charred set involved flat black spray paint and white acrylic paint. I lightly sprayed the wood with a quick, thin layer of black and let dry. Then lightly drybrushed the white on top, which created faux ash.
   To complete the project, my finishing touch was providing power to the inside of the fireplace. Nothing ruins the effect more than having a power cord coming from the fire. I knew there was power nearby in the heatilator and since I had no intent of using this fireplace to burn wood, it provided the necessary components to start. I knocked out a couple bricks and was able to replace the blower motor with a junction box and an outlet. As a bonus the heatilator system ran on an existing wall switch, so it allowed us to turn on the fire like a gas insert.
   On a side note, this project was also an important milestone for me, it was the last project on my to do list at the old house. A nice, warm way to cap off a four year long renovation.

Windward IV Ceiling Fan Hack

   Thanks to our parents, the federal government, we are no longer able to overlamp our ceiling fixtures. This safety regulation is accomplished by introducing various circuit restrictions into all new light fixtures including consumer ceiling fans. Do not get me wrong, I agree that it is important not to burn your house down from installing the wrong light bulb. However, it seems ridiculous that a homeowner needs anything more than a warning sticker saying "60W MAX."

   The new law requires a physical device in the circuit to prevent the wrong bulb from being used. Once again no big deal, unless these devices themselves prove to be faulty, causing simple fixtures to fail. You could blame the company that chose to poorly retrofit a design to obey the law, or you could just say the law is unnecessary, and one step too far.
   So, what does this have to do with Home Decorators Collection Windward IV? Well they took a great fan and introduced a fuse to prevent overlamping. This works fine on some units, but I personally have had half of my six fans blow the factory fuse while the OEM CFL bulbs were installed. I consulted the customer service line and was instructed to cut out the fuse holder and bypass the circuit limiter altogether.
   This post is purposely short and sweet, much faster than the time it took me to find this information on my own. This is not a review of the product or Home Depot's manufacturing standards. You can probably tell how I feel by my choice of words. Hopefully you found this while searching for answers and it gives you insight as to why your newly installed, moderately expensive fan just stopped working. Electricity is the same as it has always been, dangerous when used without caution.

Nothing Glamorous

   I hate the title "Tinkerer." Either you know your craft or you don't, maybe you are a hobbyist or have loads of free time to waste while pursuing a solution to a mechanical problem. I on the other hand, have little free time and would rather wrap the job on a Saturday morning than fill an entire weekend with failure and frustration. Maybe I am just jealous of that type of old guy that has time to tinker.
   The cold truth is that I am slogging through more grunt work currently. This evening I was fixing a slow draining bathtub and I had to smile at how confident I was at troubleshooting, as well as determining the best solution. And no, the answer was not pouring a bottle of Drano in the tub.

   My neighbors and friends have heard me expound the knowledge contained in a very special set of books. I would not be where I am today if it weren't for the Black & Decker Home Improvement Library. And in full disclosure, I currently have not received any compensation for this endorsement.
   Each of these books is around $25 a piece, but well worth the knowledge base when taking on a renovation. The full-color, photo intensive layouts fit my visual learning style to a tee. You can see each part of the process with little guesswork, unlike the old Haynes automotive manuals. With that said, there is a right way of doing things, and the authors have already done the research, planning, and design work.
  Along with the information in these texts, sourcing the correct parts and tools is critical. I have to give a huge shout out to Amazon while we are at it. They have always been my secret supply house in the past, but even more so recently.
   The Marketplace excels because you know some vendor is holding on to warehouse parts for a twenty-five year old toilet. I am continuously amazed at what is still sitting on a dusty shelf, and now readily available through our new digital universe. I felt compelled to share these two important sources, they have been an incremental part of what I have accomplished, and they deserve a free testimonial. While neither of these companies need my recommendation, hopefully this helps a novice homeowner who is trying to figure out just where to start.

  

Rainbow Playset - Replacement Canopy

   We acquired our Rainbow Clubhouse III playset through our most recent real estate transaction. The set is really showing its age, but the upside is these are the best built residential swing sets on the planet and will eventually be passed on to another family after ours.

    I remembered these beefy, redwood clubhouses from when I was a kid and always wanted one. As with all Manic Maker projects, the clubhouse needed some updates and TLC. I assessed what we had, and what we really needed. We had just moved a much smaller A-frame swing set with us across country, so I had extra lumber and parts to make any necessary alterations.
   This set in particular had a lot of extras that increased its footprint, but also added to my weekly yard maintenance. So after some familial negotiations, we nixed the monkey bars-to-nowhere and added a third swing in exchange. The bottom of the clubhouse was also unfinished which led to a rat's nest of weeds and detritus. I built a stage platform over this section and eliminated the need for extra weed trimming.
   The ropes were all rotten from sun exposure and the elements. I opted to add climbing rocks to make up for this loss on the rock wall. We replaced the mildew stained rubber grips with plastic handles and tightened up all the hardware.
   In another stroke of genius, I removed the hazed acrylic lenses from the periscope and binoculars. So now these items no longer collect rainwater and gnats. This left me with the last hideous piece of the puzzle, the signature red, yellow, and blue tarp.
   After a decade in the sun, it was now a rainbow of weak pastels and algae stains. There are many aftermarket canopies available, however most of them are too small. I located a PlayStar tarp, but it was still 6 inches short of the original Rainbow canopy. The best solution was to trim the mast to make up the difference. I used clamps to test fit the replacement, and then with circular saw in hand removed 5 inches from the two tallest posts. There is still adequate room for an adult to stand on the top level without ducking and the new green cover blends in better with the wooded surroundings.
  

Manic Maker Heart

   Running wild like any good maniac would, with limited time and substantial workload ahead, I finally got a day to organize my shop. The garage was a dumping ground when we finished unloading the truck and it has been hard to navigate the mess ever since. Even worse, I have had to function without my workbench, cutting wood on top of buckets and wheelbarrows. Wasting valuable time searching for essential equipment lost abroad, without its proper home.
   A well-built workbench is such a beautiful, basic structure. I have thought about writing this post in the past, but it did not meet my criteria, there was nothing new, or innovative to share. The epic move has changed my mind. This simple, hard-topped cabinet is my entire shop, everything else is superfluous.

   An off-the-shelf, melamine workbench with a few additional modifications like hasp locks, a  backboard and a Masonite top.  I would not part with this amazing piece of furniture for anything.
   Heavy as all get out, but we still hauled it 2500 miles to our new home. Granted, any table would suffice, but this piece holds the entirety of my life's acquired skills. The humble soldier packs my router, circular saw, sawzall, jigsaw, hammer drill, electrical and plumbing kits and most importantly every other hand tool I own.
   It sounds silly, but the house feels more like a home now, and I feel more confident with my partner at my side. I recently mourned my last house, but I now realize that I brought the heart with me. As the ideas leave my head, traveling towards my hands, they ultimately achieve fruition on the old, haggard plinth. With this said, I move forward, knowing anything is possible when properly equipped.

Livin' Large

   After a long sustained pause, forced by unforeseeable circumstances, the real source of trepidation arose. Deep-seated hatred towards vinyl siding and shoddy architecture drew out repressed feelings of anger and betrayal. It is not buyer's remorse, but an internal conflict. Over the last two decades I have railed against McMansions and America's dumb obsession with super-sized homes, and this position has now resulted in my current ethical dilemma.
   We arrived in the Cleveland high on optimism and the promise of better real estate value. We soon found that the online listings grossly misrepresented the condition of countless neglected properties. Within a very short week we knew that we were combing through the dregs of last years' offerings.
   Asbestos, skunks, rotting windows, and broken slabs. Once vital, artsy structures were now a liability to their remaining heirs. I am not naive, I recognize the maintenance arc that most properties commonly follow. As the resident ages, so does the home. Less energy and strength coupled with poor eyesight leads to a Miss Havisham-esque habitation. If caught early enough, the fix is simple, if left for decades, the problems domino and the value plummets.
   Our only choice was to leap decades forward and look to homes that we would have never previously considered. Yes, I am talking about the vinyl clad, infill blight of the McMansion. Not only is the architecture generally mundane, and the heating bills inordinately high, any efficiencies are merely coincidental. With few other options left, I chose hypocrisy over personal beliefs. 
   I recently read that the McMansion building trend died somewhere during the last recession, but this does not mean these homes are going anywhere. In reality, a lot of these homes are going to need serious updates as  they approach midlife. This is just the beginning of a new saga, another test of my abilities. Can the Manic Maker tame one of these beasts into a relevant, dare I say modern structure? Let me lead as I have done before, and demonstrate that it can be executed with thoughtful design and finesse.

Homeowner Without A Home

   Houses become homes when families are added, this notion is often romanticized, but I will take it one step further. Your home is your partner, and you will benefit from the constant upkeep every time a severe storm rolls through, or an energy bill finds your mailbox.
   Let's take this a little further, my last partner was my loyal assistant. Anytime a small repair was warranted, I could lean out the door and grab a tool from my trusty workbench. I took this act for granted and could literally perform it blindfolded. This is one of the many carefree moments I long for.

   This past week I realized that I am mourning the loss of a friend, an 1800 sq. ft. buddy. We had good times together and memories that shall never fade. He was the backbone of this blog, the reason for getting out of bad early to make the most out of a productive day.
   My wife and I brought our babies home to this friend, warm and stable in those rough early months. These same children raced around on tricycles and swung beneath the giant spruce trees. I now recognize that my younger self was fine-tuning future fatherhood skills. Nurturing the neglected soul, breathing life into its vital systems and praying that everything would work out well.
   The accumulation of man hours has paid back dividends of restful, worry-free sleep and days of neighborhood pride. And most recently coming through for us, when we needed our house to sell quickly in order to prepare for a massive, cross country move. There will be plenty of Manic Maker hacks to come, but they will never match the resurrection of  39 Winchester Street.

Easy Mortar Repair

   We have an exterior brick veneer on the lower story of our house. This small run of bricks has been a nuisance since we took possession of the house. After repairing the mortar several times, I realized there was something going on behind the scenes. I removed someone else's sloppy "Handyman Special," consisting of a poorly mixed bag of concrete along the base of the wall, and then located the problem. The metal support shelf had come loose, and allowed the wall to heave with the seasonal thaw cycle.

    I was able to properly fix the damage, as well as resolve the source of the issue, but I still had small cracks (under and 1/8") in the mortar around the bricks. The bricks were still imbedded and there was no reason to pull out all the mortar and tuckpoint the wall again. A mason would probably argue the contrary, but it is just a veneer and it is my house.

   There are several concrete caulks available that would fit the task at hand. There is even a Quikrete product that is basically sanded mortar mixed in an acrylic suspension. This is a neat idea, but a real bitch to work with. I use a professional caulk gun and it still requires enough force to rupture the tube. Imagine squeezing gravel through a toothpaste tube, then once you have it out of the tube, it is a horrible mess to tool.
   So after some reflection on my options, I came up with a pretty simple solution. Throughout our remodel, I had used DAP concrete caulk to fix small cracks with excellent results. The only issue is that it is smooth and a much lighter shade of gray than the existing mortar. I experimented with dusting the wet caulk with dry mortar mix and the results were spot on. I tested the repairs and they are solid.
   If you have large cracks in a brick or block structure you need to consult a mason and find the source of the problem. This is not a wait-and-see situation, you are one good storm away from water damage or worse. Well done construction on the other hand, with proper maintenance should outlast all the other building materials in your home.

Black Magic

   There is no cure all for sealing an aging driveway. I inherited a fatally neglected driveway when we purchased our house. Well past its prime, this modest slab has become an ongoing project of trying to avoid replacing the whole thing. Some years later, my cumulative efforts have started to yield a stronger, easier to care for driveway.
   The journey has led me through a whole lot of products that are a complete waste of time and money. The best tip I ever got was to use asphalt sealer as crack filler. It costs a fraction of what is doled out in those little liter bottles and is of much higher quality. My freshman attempt at sealing used a whole lot of those bottles and it did not even last two years. I can report that after eight years and four sealcoats, the sealcoat / crack filler method works well.
   Hot liquid fillers are superior, given the time and resources, but if you are buying multiple pails of sealcoat, you already have the product on hand and will most likely have leftovers. To reinforce this method, I use a layer of trowel mix across the top of all my seams. This is by far my favorite consumer asphalt product, if applied correctly, it as strong as your asphalt. I have rebuilt aprons, depressions, divots, and failing edges. When we removed the turnaround from our drive, large sections of this product remained intact even after being hit with a sledge.
   The additional trowel mix step is important because unattended cracks sink from water washing out the sub base. The trowel mix levels out the surface and allows the water to shed the way it was intended. In more complex scenarios, I use several drywall knife sizes similar to applying joint compound.
   It may sound like I have mastered DIY asphalt repair, but there is an Achilles heal. All commercially available sealcoats have a terminal thickness. So be warned, if you get addicted to that deep black magic, it comes at a high cost. The topcoat will lose its elasticity and the entire surface will flake off. The ten year warranties are bunk as well, even with the best conditions, it will need maintenance every few years.

Mending Fences

   Attention: New reports on the massive efforts underway at the Manic Maker compound, previously dubbed the "Fortress of Solitude."
   The plans were initialed by the Mrs.'s, and ground was broken with new 4 x 4 framing installed between our neighbors' fence posts. The adjacent property owner has been very accommodating with our intent to build on the backside of their existing privacy fence.
   In order to return the favor, I offered to straighten out some sags in their fence rails. With new timbers installed horizontally between the posts, it provided enough structure to anchor support braces. Using a scissor jack from my car, I was able to raise the middle of the fence rail until it reached the plumb line. This hack worked surprisingly well as the entire section of fence gently eased towards level, with all the boards moving in tandem. While still supported by the jack, I inserted a short piece of 2x stock and screwed the fence in place. Of course this is not as good as rebuilding the entire fence, but that would have been cost prohibitive.

   It is also worth mentioning that I had studied the fence well before coming up with this fix. Aside from the minimal structure, the main culprit of the severe sagging was pressure treated lumber. I have learned the hard way that this material is only good for posts and ground contact. I do not recommend this material where strength is required.
   The wood appears substantial enough for the task, but weather soon reveals significant weaknesses. On a piece of 2 x 4 pressure treated lumber, the hundreds of perforations in the surface reduce the integrity down to about a 1 x 3. I have witnessed 8' sections of 3-rail fencing drooping after a few short seasons. In other words, use quality lumber for your rails and avoid PT lumber if possible.
   This first phase of our intensive, summer long projects is intended to further reinforce the privacy boundary with our closest neighboring property. The new landscape bed houses (3) large black pine which can grow at a rate of 12" - 18" a year. This will create a soft, permeable screen above the fence line. The new cedar cladding on our side has also created a cozier, more intimate yard enclosure.

WIP's List

   The project currently underway is a massive undertaking that involves moving trees, shrubs, earth, utilities, and small mountains to achieve my landscaping "Sistine Chapel." Envision Mr. Miyagi's garden from Karate Kid I, sans koi pond. Years of site study and planning have generated a concept for a private garden, that will provide the backdrop for future family and social gatherings.

   I am still a stay-at-home dad and a one man crew. The amount of labor ahead of me is truly daunting. Even though it is overwhelming, I am dedicated to seeing it all the way through completion this summer.
   This does take me away from luxuries such as writing fresh posts for this blog. This has been the longest break between posts since its inception, and I have come to realize how important it is to my well-being. As for now, I do have several other posts to share when weather will no longer allow me to proceed outdoors.
   The nature of this blog has always been to share unique ideas and solutions that I have discovered along the way of my creative endeavors. However, this is not a means to an end. The most important part of my process is still the design build principle.



Satellite Imaging

   It is Spring in Montana, or at least on the calendar it is. This is the first year since my two sons came along that I will be able to get back to large outdoor projects. The winter months were spent looking out the windows of our home, dreaming of finishing what I had planned years ago.
   My wife's grandparents had raised the bar high with a beautiful estate that they nurtured for decades. Now my goals are not as ambitious, nor luxurious, but I do have an appreciation for dense, well planned landscaping. Considering the age of our neighborhood and the surrounding properties, I chose a multi-stage approach to integrating the new work with into its context. One benefit to this approach, is a staggered growth cycle that looks more natural than having five trees that are the exact same height. This year's construction includes the extension of an existing rock bed in our backyard.

   The new area will offer more privacy with a screen created by evergreen trees, as well as eliminating nearly 1100 sq. ft. of lawn. Personally, the strongest motivation for me is no longer feeding, weeding, watering, aerating, and mowing this section of yard.
   We wrestled with this project for awhile and needed help visualizing the end product. The sketch above is rudimentary and seems deceptively simple, but this is the seventh rendering for the site. The crucial part of this sketch was acquiring an aerial photo of our property. Many years ago, before drones came along, this was an expensive proposition. Thanks to satellite imaging from search engine maps, I was able to get an image that was "good enough" for our purposes.
   In order to recreate an accurate, workable plan, I used drawing software that allowed me to set architecture scale and import raster images. I took several measurements of the existing river rock bed and then used these real world dimensions to scale up the drawing to full size.
   Using basic, vector drawing tools I was able to play with the bed's perimeter shape many times over, generating several drawings for comparison. This is not always necessary, but can be greatly helpful when trying to share visual ideas with others. The detailed plan gave me confidence to hit the ground running with a layout for new trees and a precise starting point as well.

Deglossing An Acrylic Light Diffuser

   Man, is it dark in here? After working in the same kitchen for seven years, I suddenly realized there was a huge light void over half the work area.
   This was partially due to the high ceilings and our only light source was nestled next to a wooden beam. We opted to replace the single light with a subtle pair of fluorescent fixtures to increase the overall lumens and simplify the need for additional electrical wiring.
   Everything went according to plan, but something with the new lighting did not sit well with me.
   The satin nickel details fell in line with the rest of the fixtures in the house, but I soon realized the white diffusers did not.
   The glossy plastic finish made the lights look cheap and incongruent with the metal end caps. It turns out that every light diffuser in our house has a matte finish that matches their nickel housing. It is one of those things you never notice, until you do, and then it bothers you.
   The easiest solution would involve dulling the exterior finish of the diffusers. This was quite a daring move, because if I blew it, the molded plastic would be ruined. I had worked with a lot of acrylic and polycarbonate during my days as a sign artist, and I knew the risk.
   Now, I did not just pull out the power tools and start grinding away. Instead I gathered a few green Scotchbrite scouring pads, some #0000 steel wool, rubbing alcohol and a towel for buffing. To start, I highly recommend that you choose a direction for the grain and stick to it throughout. Conversely, I do not recommend a circular "brushed steel" swirl, that is much harder to execute consistently.
   The easiest directional stroke to maintain is the shortest. In this case the diffuser was roughly 1' x 4', so I started knocking down the finish with the scotchbrite, while sanding perpendicular to the length. I followed this pass with the extra fine steel wool, then rotated the piece and worked back to the start. After several passes the sanded grain became more muted and a satin sheen developed. Once the finish was de-glossed and appeared uniform, the entire surface was wiped with alcohol and then buffed with a towel.
   This is where I must heed caution, and remind you to test on inconspicuous areas before trying something drastic like this. It is not a difficult effect to produce, but it is irreversible though. Aesthetically the fixture looks much nicer with a flat sheen, as well producing a softer, more evenly diffused light.

Maxing Out Kitchen Cabinets

   Whether you are planning for the apocalypse or just need more space for your cookies, this concept will benefit your pantry. Maxing involves taking a second look at the negative space around the products stored in your cupboards. Now, you could just cram as much stuff into your cabinets as possible, but that does not create a functional space. Take a good fifteen minutes to see if you could rearrange your goods by height in a way that creates enough dead space for an additional shelf. If you have older builder-grade cabinets like me, this is probably not too hard, considering their inefficient use of space and poor design.

   After completing the hard mental task of cereal Tetris, lets talk carpentry. The real bones of this hack is the quick and easy installation of stock shelves. I have painted, stained and varnished enough household projects in my lifetime that I no longer find any joy in it.
   Armed with this prime directive, I began searching for a solution that would literally be finished when the last screw was driven. After scouring my vast knowledge of home improvement products, a foil wrapped, faux wood shelf popped into my mind that would fit the bill. Normally, I despise this material because it is cheap, heavy, brittle, and altogether ugly, but in this application it is perfect because it matches the material grade of my cabinet interior.
   Our primary pantry, included only one shelf in a rather large volume of 16 cu.ft., great if you are storing camping equipment, but of little use for can goods and other consumables. There was also zero interior bracing to add shelves. In order to make this as simple as possible, I bought (3) shelf boards for each rack I intended to build. Two boards were used as rails and glued to the interior of the cabinet walls. The third was laid across the top and voila! the cabinet is now a highly functional system.
     Admittedly, this can be a rather crude venture depending on your skill level. The trick is to match the faux wood to the interior of your cabinets. Rubbermaid makes a variety of sizes, and colors ranging from white to black with several shades of wood in between. You might ask why bother with this relatively simple upgrade? If you are a piler then this is not for you, but if you like the thought of not having to constantly move around the same items daily, you can see the benefit in this system.

Tunnel Vision

   It is crazy cold outside. There, I said it without expletives. There is really no other way to express -17° F. While everyone has their own opinion of what constitutes cold, very few would go outside in a t-shirt this evening. Now I know this pales in comparison with our brethren from the eastern half of Montana, but I digress.
   When we bought our home, none of the houses in our neighborhood had bathroom exhaust fans. I mean, how do you get rid of all the water vapor from a shower? Especially when it is this cold outside. I learned the very simple answer to this, the hard way.
   I had installed bathroom fans as one of the first projects in our derelict house. The installation was straight forward and I chose the cheapest stock items available. This did not mean I cut corners on the actual installation, the ducts were sealed and insulated to prevent attic condensation. The fail point that I could not have foreseen was the louvered vent covers. When we have these arctic cold spells, they will freeze shut leading to excessive moisture buildup in the bathroom and adjacent bedrooms.
   I have been driving myself nuts looking for a solution, I cannot stand it when a system underperforms or downright fails. It is not as plain and simple as manually opening the louvers, because as a I mentioned it is way too cold to work outside and the vents are fourteen feet off the ground.
   Desperately, I turned to a dehumidifier, a short-term fix and an expense that I loathed. While shopping, a knowledgeable associate dissuaded me from the purchase at a local box store. Here is my confession that seems ridiculous as I write it down, he asked me why not open the windows?
   I will admit that I had been so headstrong trying to come up with a better system, that I flew past the most obvious. It turned out that his solution was quite sophisticated. I was hesitant because of the sharp temperature difference, but what I was not considering was the outside humidity. When it is this cold out, it is bone dry, even with snow on the ground. Within twenty minutes the outside air neutralized the indoor humidity, while only dropping the bedroom ten degrees.
   I humbly share this tale as a reminder that sometimes the solution to your problem is right in front of you. Beware of tunnel vision, take a minute to step back and analyze the situation for the most basic and simple approach, it might be as easy as opening a window.