Bridge Repair...

12:26pm - 47 degrees - scattered clouds...

It's that time again... replacing the wood decking on the bridge on our driveway. 

First all the old decking had to be removed.

Then all the new decking had to be put into place and secured.

We went from two wood decking strips to the whole bridge being decked. Turned out so nice!  Thankfully the guys got this done before the weather turned. We're just over a week into fall, but now it's time to prep for winter because snow is right around the corner.

DIY Faux Shiplap Walls...

2:48 pm - 31 degrees outside - snowing, foggy...

A while back I decided that I wanted to finish out all the closets in our home with a wood planking look – aka shiplap. So far I have finished out both of the kids closets {click here} and I think they turned out great!

When I make a decision I usually jump with both feet, while Tony thinks things through a bit more. So Sunday night I decided that I wanted to finish out our linen closet in the master bathroom and tore everything out of the closet so I would have a clean space and be ready to get started the next morning... after I ran to Lowe’s to get supplies that is.

Real shiplap is more than I wanted to spend, but that’s the overall look I’m wanting in all the closets – it’s a nice neutral texture that can be added to any space and can be styled in a lot of different ways.

A popular technique to get the shiplap look at a lower cost is to cut a piece of plywood into strips that you nail to the wall just slightly spaced apart.  This will save you a few bucks, but on the down side you have to rip plywood into perfectly straight strips and balance coins or spacers between boards to get the perfect spacing which would make the project a lot more labor intensive than I wanted to attempt.

So the best solution, at a reasonable price, that I found was to use tongue and grove planks. This is what I used in the kids closets, and it is so incredibly easy to install, yet it still gives me the look I’m wanting.

Altogether - planks, wood filler, sandpaper, paint, and boards for shelving totaled $126 and the project took about 4 hours spread out over three days to finish. Three days was to give enough time for the paint and stain to dry properly – otherwise it would have been all done in one day.

Here is what I used...

4 packs of v-groove pine wallplanks (6 planks to a pack)

Miter Saw

Tape measure

Level

Brad nailer with nails

Wood Filler

Putty knife

Sandpaper

Paint

Wood Stain

The linen closet is 44” wide by 2’7” deep with a back wall + slanted ceiling measuring 6’10” –-- soooo... there was a lot of measuring and cutting involved.

I started the first board in the bottom left corner, used the level and a scrap piece of sheetrock to keep the board half an inch off the subfloor (the spacing will allow for the future installation of flooring) and nailed in the board using the brad nailer. It took me somewhere between one and a half to two hours to get all the planking up.  

After the boards were up, I went back and filled all the nail holes and smoothed out any seams or knot holes with wood filler.  After the wood filler had time to dry, I went back and sanded all those spots smooth.  Then paint!  I used less than half a can of Valspar “Snowcap White” (one heavy coat + touch ups).

Next, I figured out where I wanted my shelves to be at, measured and screwed in sidewall supports for the shelving to sit on. I cut each board, made sure that they fit properly, then stained them with Varathane Wood Stain “Kona”. After the boards were dry, I put them into the closet, and voila, all done!

I absolutely love how it turned it. Now 3 out of 4 of the upstairs closets are done! I love progress!

Building A Pond...

4:50 pm - 47 degrees - foggy, raining...

When we were driving around looking for property 12 years ago, we came upon this near-perfect rural off-grid property... and we were sold!

Our property has a good amount of acreage, gorgeous views, a nice home site, and it’s a nice distance to and from civilization.  It was perfect... except for one small thing – it was missing a visible water feature.  Yes, a river bisects our lot, but we can’t see it from the house.

I have always wanted to live on a lake or have a large pond or some kind of water feature within sight of the house.  It's only taken 12 years, but we finally have a visible water feature – a pond!

A pond offers numerous benefits for landowners: entertainment for the family, water for wildlife, aquaculture, fire protection, erosion control, and aesthetics are but a few. 

And in our case, the pond will also hopefully offer another source of power – hydroelectric power. 

For those of you who don’t know what hydroelectric (or hydropower or hydroenergy) is – it’s a reliable source of renewable energy that runs 24/7 for very little cost.  Power is generated from the movement of water, like waterfalls or streams, water that is stored in dams, as well as flowing in river to create electricity.  The water flows through a turbine to help generate electricity; using the energy of falling or flowing water to turn the blades.  The rotating blades spin a generator that converts the mechanical energy of the spinning turbine into electrical energy that we can use to power our home.

Even though a pond has so much to offer, there are a lot of factors that needed to be considered first.  Factors like:

 - Is the land and soil actually suited for a pond?

 - Can we build the pond ourselves?

 - What size of pond do we want and what size will fit?

 - How much will this project cost?

 - How long will this project take?

While Tony is the researcher, thinker, and planner, I am one to jump in with both feet now.  So when he told me that he was thinking that he could put in a pond and wanted to know what I thought – my response was YES, the bigger the better!

After walking around the designated area he had picked out and visualizing his plan of attack, Tony started digging, and digging, and digging.

The underground springs Tony tapped into, quickly started filling the hole and eventually the big hole started to look like a pond.  Before the pond got too full, he added a 4” pipe that is about 2’ below the water line for our future hydropower source.  

Tony also added an 18” culvert for an overflow.

After getting the edges, top and surrounding area cleaned up, we spread grass seed covered with Turf Mulch.  The Turf Mulch is a naturally organic product that is a ground dressing for the newly seeded area.  It will help the ground retain moisture, form a protective mat over the seed, help the grass seed germinate quicker and help with erosion control until the grass grows in.

And we now have a 10' deep by 40'x50' trout pond!  The water level is currently at the uncapped hydro pipe, which he painted black so it would blend in a little more.  Tony wanted to keep the water at the lower level until the grass starts to grow.  The trout will be coming in about a month or so.  So excited for this project and how it is turning out!  My husband is amazing!!

Fall Is Almost Here...

8:13 pm - 62 degrees - smoky...

The nights are getting colder, the mornings are getting darker, the kids have gone back to school, and tomorrow the rain is supposed to return! 

Where did summer go? 

Weeks turned into months in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, the kids were back in school and we’re busy running everyone around to soccer and volleyball practice.

Summer was extremely busy, and we didn’t even get anything done on or around the house. Tony spent the summer helping our neighbor build a 3,000+ sqft tree deck for their daughter’s wedding.  The tree deck and the wedding were both absolutely amazing!!

  

Even though everyone was really busy this summer, we did manage to sneak in some fun here and there.

The kids were constantly catching critters.

We went berry picking several times and canned some freezer jam.

We went hiking, canoeing, camping and fishing.

And we made several quick trips to the Long Beach Peninsula for more fun and surf fishing.

They caught a crab while surf fishing for perch!
The crab grabbed the bait and didn't want to let get.
They let it go after we got a quick picture.

Although I love the warmth and sunshine of summer, and everything that goes with it, I am really happy fall is almost here.  

Turning Logs Into Lumber...

2:05 pm - 36 degrees - raining and foggy...

Most people get their lumber from the local lumber store or local big box store, which is what we usually do.  However, Tony wants to build a woodshed and needs larger lumber, which of course costs more.  After crunching the numbers, he saw that it would actually save us some cash to have the lumber milled out versus going and buying it at the store. 

One of the trees that was felled to make lumber.

 

So a couple weekends ago Tony had a local guy come up with his portable bandsaw mill to mill out some lumber for our woodshed project.  A portable mill is basically a piece of track, called the bed, on which an adjustable band saw rolls back and forth on.  You lay the log on the bed and trim slices off the log with the band saw.

After they got the portable bandsaw mill in place, it was crucial that the bed, which is the reference point for the entire mill, was level and square.  If the bed isn’t level and square, all the lumber that is produced will be slightly off. 

After the mill was all set up, it was time to load one of the 20’ logs on to the bed.  Depending on the size of the log, this can be a bit tricky.  The portable sawmill had a wench that was used to hoist the logs into place, but an excavator was used to the place the larger logs that were just too big for the wench to pull.

Cutting the end off.

The first cuts made on a log produce slabs, which is a piece of wood that has bark on one side and a clean cut on the other.  The next cut is a flitch cut, which is a board with two flat sides, but has bark on one or more edges (this is also known as live edge boards).  For the typical log, it takes about two cuts on each of the four sides – one slab cut and one flitch cut.  In theory, that will result in a large, square piece of wood called a cant.

Making the first cut on the log.

Second cut on the log.

After all four sides have been cut, they start milling the lumber.

Of course not all logs are the same.  Depending on the size of a log, eight cuts (4 slab cuts and 4 flitch cuts) can waste a lot of wood.  However, the edges of the flitch cuts can sometimes be ripped down to make a good board or the can be used at a live edge board.

Out of four 20’ logs, we ended up with four 20’ 6x12 beams, twenty-four 20’ 2x12s, four 20’ 1x12s and a pile of miscellaneous boards and live edge boards.

Left over piles of scrap and live edge boards.

Pile of scrap live edge boards.
I'm sure we can think of something to do with these!

Left over logs.

When milling your own lumber you must also be aware that you can totally ruin everything you have just milled by improper drying.  Softwoods develop fewer defects than hardwoods, partly because the total overall shrinkage is generally less.  Some warp is inevitable and you may want to saw hardwoods a bit larger to be sure you can get the final planed thickness you are wanting.

To properly dry freshly milled lumber, you must be quick and carefully sticker the boards.  Stickers are pieces of wood that provide air gaps in a pile of drying lumber.  Stickers are only ¾ x ¾ inches.  This is a great use for scrap lumber.  Using dry stickers every 16 to 18 inches or, according to some, as close as every 12 inches for hardwood lumber.  The purpose is mainly to separate wet boards and to allow air circulation, but the wood's own weight in the pile helps control warping.  Using stickers at the ends of the piles reduces end checking as well as warping.  Tony also painted the ends of the boards with anchor seal which also helps to prevent end checking.

Turning logs into lumber was definitely a learning experience. 

Tony spent one full day picking out the trees he wanted to use, falling the trees, limbing the logs, and hauling them into place along the driveway.  Another full day was spent milling those logs into lumber.  And yet another full day was spent cleaning up most of the mess and stacking the lumber.  Three days into that project and we still have several piles of unused logs, scraps, slabs and live edge boards and we have to wait until the freshly milled lumber has time to dry a bit.  

In the end, yes it did save us some cash, but it did cost more in time.

DIY Faux Shiplap Walls...

7:57 pm - 61 degrees - scattered clouds, light breeze...

Over the holiday weekend, I decided that I wanted to finish out all the closets in our home with a wood planking look.

Real shiplap is more than I wanted to spend, but that’s the overall look I’m wanting in all the closets – it’s a nice neutral texture that can be added to any space and can be styled in a lot of different ways.

A popular technique to get the shiplap look at a lower cost is to cut a piece of plywood into strips that you nail to the wall just slightly spaced apart.  This will save you a few bucks, but on the down side you have to rip plywood into perfectly straight strips and balance coins or spacers between boards to get the perfect spacing which would make the project a lot more labor intensive than I wanted to attempt.

So the best solution, at a reasonable price, that I found was to use tongue and grove planks.  It still gives me the look I was wanting and it was incredibly easy to install.  Altogether - planks, wood filler, sandpaper, primer and paint totaled just over $130 and the project took about 9 hours spread out over three days to finish.

After a trip to the hardware store for supplies, Tony and I started getting out all the tools I would need for this project (I always have to get organized before I start a project).

What I used...

- 8 packs of v-groove pine wallplanks (6 planks to a pack)

- Miter Saw

- Tape measure

- Level

- Brad nailer with nails

- Wood Filler

- Putty knife

- Sandpaper

- Primer & Paint

The kids’ closets are 11’3” wide by 2’7” deep with a back wall + slanted ceiling measuring 6’10” with three door openings –-- soooo... there was a lot of measuring and cutting involved.

I started the first board in the bottom left corner, used the level and a scrap piece of sheetrock to keep the board half an inch off the subfloor (the spacing will allow for the future installation of flooring) and nailed in the board using the brad nailer.

After serveral trips up and down the stairs to cut boards, I quickly found my rhythm alternating the plank lengths as I worked my way up the wall.  It took me somewhere between one and a half to two hours to get all the planking up.  

After the boards were up, I went back and filled all the nail holes and smoothed out the seams with wood filler.  After the wood filler had time to dry, I went back and sanded all those spots smooth.  Then paint!  I used half a can of primer (one heavy coat + touch ups) and half a can Valspar Snowcap White (one heavy coat + touch ups).

He wanted to help so bad, so he's filling nail holes with wood filler.

Putting on a coat of primer.

Putting on the final coat of paint.  Final paint on the left, primer on the right.

I absolutely love how it turned it.  One kid’s closet done, one more to go!

All done!  Love it!