Finishing the New Butcherblock Countertop

December 21, 2011
finished butcherblock detail

My plans for the kitchen countertop, sink and backsplash will make a big difference in my low-cost kitchen upgrade project, so I couldn’t wait to get rolling. I started with the countertop because the unfinished length of cherry butcherblock that I bought needed to be cut and finished prior to installation. Cutting the countertop was [...]

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Kitchen Countertop, Sink and Backsplash: The Plan

December 13, 2011
Kitchen before

Something is cooking in the kitchen, and it isn’t just Christmas cookies. My kitchen remodel continues with a big, high-impact change–replacing the countertop, sink and backsplash. As with my other kitchen improvements, I want to make this update low-cost and vintage-inspired. For my purpose, “low cost” doesn’t mean the absolutely least expensive option, but rather [...]

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Backyard Reboot

November 8, 2011
backyard lawn after thumbnail

I love it when a plan comes together. A couple posts ago I shared my plan to revise the back yard to remove the vegetable garden, consolidate the patio space, and expand the lawn. Now I can show my steps to enact that plan and how the results turned out. Unbuilding the Garden Taking out [...]

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Boo!

October 31, 2011
jack o'lanterns thumbnail

Halloween is in full swing as I type this from my front yard adirondack chair, a fire in my firebowl, while trick-or-treaters comb the block with their costumes and heavy-laden pillowcases. If you dropped by the house tonight, you’d find jack o’lanterns (the kids designed their own)… toasted pumpkin seeds (a bit overcooked, but still [...]

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The New Backyard Plan

October 28, 2011
backyard plan thumbnail

A few years ago I beefed up the raised garden bed in my backyard with a decorative fence and soil amendments. My goal was simple: to make the veggie garden more attractive and productive. Three years later, the garden fence still looks good, but I have concluded that no amount of compost in the soil [...]

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Ironic

October 25, 2011

It’s not exactly rain on my wedding day, Alanis, but things are getting awfully ironic around here. Specifially, I have been so productive with house projects this fall you might expect me to have written a slew of blog posts, but instead the site has been quiet for a couple weeks and you, Dear Reader, [...]

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Fall Cleanout

October 3, 2011
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Fall is the perfect time to clear the shelves of anything worn-out, used-up or useless and prepare for a few months of inside-only projects. I recently hauled away a car load of hazardous and irregularly recyclable waste that had accumulated in my workshop, including: old cellphones, chargers, cables and other recyclable electronic waste; (check out [...]

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Newton’s First Law of Air Conditioning

September 26, 2011
fallen air conditioner thumbnail

An air conditioner at rest will remain at rest unless it is acted upon by a careless dolt (me) who doesn’t hold onto it during removal. An air conditioner in motion will remain in motion until it is acted upon by the mass of the planet earth beneath my backyard patio. This little accident could have [...]

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True Value Update

September 26, 2011
brighter future logo thumbnail

I couldn’t be more thrilled to have True Value Hardware as a partner on this blog. Their sponsorship enabled my recent work on my deck and they continue to provide great opportunities for DIYers like you, my readers. In fact, there is so much happening with True Value, it really needs a special post to [...]

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Staining the Deck

September 22, 2011
stained deck thumbnail

Clean the deck: check. Expand the deck: check. And now I can check off the last step in my deck maintenance project: staining the deck. Before I launch into the before-and-after, first a word about deck stain. Like all wood finishes, deck stain serves two basic purposes: it enhances the appearance and it protects the [...]

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