Author Archives: cstults

We accomplished another big milestone in the shop. We set up the woodworking tools and dust collection system! The shop will be divided into several zones for woodworking, metalworking, brewing, etc. Having the woodworking tools confined to a space makes it more efficient to move a wood board from machine to machine. It also makesContinue reading “Left in the Dust”

Fun challenge! – Count the number of references to The Doors songs in this post. (Title does not count.) I thought ordering doors would be easy. Boy, was I wrong. It all started nearly two years ago when I couldn’t find exterior doors to match our French doors and windows. Apparently the design selection ofContinue reading “Doors”

Our friends Mikko and Malee visited for a weekend and helped us with some decorative projects. Sam and I managed to turn hanging lights into an ordeal (of course), so the pendant lights I had ordered were still in their boxes. The pendant lights didn’t come with long enough wire for our 19 foot highContinue reading “Sprucing Things Up”

Sam and I designed most of the audio system last year when we were running wires in the walls. Since neither of us are audiophiles (yet), this project involved some intense internet research over a short period of time. We designed the apartment’s sound system for two main situations- (1) watching movies and (2) listeningContinue reading “Speaker of the House and Shop”

We were on a roll with cabinets after the big kitchen installation, so I ordered some shelves for our closet. There’s a big world of closet systems that I wasn’t aware of. I settled on a fairly inexpensive line from ClosetMaid. They shipped Ikea-style in flat heavy boxes. Unlike my previous experiences with Ikea furniture, theseContinue reading “Out of the Closet”

Our kitchen cabinets arrived! Selecting a brand was just as lengthy of a process as designing the kitchen layout. We went with a brand called DeWils, made here in WA. They only took 4 months to arrive (faster than some!). We picked them up in The Dalles and fit all 15 boxes onto the trailer.Continue reading “Everything but the Kitchen Sink”

The groundhog may not have predicted it, but that’s what we got. The insulation in the shop was finally completed. We were at our wits’ end with the spray foam contractors by the time they finished the shop walls, so we looked for someone else to do the ceiling. We hired a local company toContinue reading “Six More Weeks of Drywall”

Since the summer of 2021, Sam and I have gone to the bathroom more times outside than we have inside a restroom. Not anymore! 2023 is officially the year of the toilet! This may not seem exciting to some of you, but for a female who does not enjoy exposing her bum to rain and snow,Continue reading “The Year of the Toilet”

Is still heat. After a restless night dreaming of frozen pipes, we arrived the next morning with hope and extra firewood. Sam was going to properly fix the leaky copper parts and Terry was coming to turn the heat on! But to our avail, the power was out! The power company reported that it mightContinue reading “All I Want for Christmas (Part 2)…”

Is heat! We thought we had a few more weeks to finish the remaining utility work, but the snow arrived early. The water system wasn’t hooked up nor was the heat. Plus our our temporary doors weren’t sealed, and the insulation in the shop was incomplete. We were not prepared for winter! We weren’t theContinue reading “All I Want for Christmas (Part 1)…”