List Needed

So I was telling my sister today about how there are a lot of projects to do around here, and part of what makes me feel like I am making headway is to get all the supplies for those projects even when I can't start those projects just yet...it is a false sense of accomplishment when nothing is really being done.

In the course of this, I have a lot of supplies and several half accomplished projects (along with many unstarted projects) and thought I better make a list. This is just a list of the ones I have already got supplies for, not all projects which need to be done around here (which would make for a very big post).

Update: as I remember items, I have been adding them to the list, and as I have been finishing things off, I am striking them out. Having this list is actually a really good thing for me...not sure why I didn't do it before.

• Replacing all four porch lights Aug 4
• Fixing 220 outlet in laundry room Jan 10
• Setting up remote garage door opener Apr 13
• Create new screens (frames and all) for downstairs bedrooms June 7
• Set up weight room July 21
• Weedblock bed
• Reinstalled downstairs blinds July 21
• Put table together July 21
• Fixing redwood bench on pool deck
• Check insulation situation in attic Sept 7
• Changing lock on downstairs closet door Sept 20
• Painting white lattice under pool deck
• Painting all bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways and the laundry room
• Fixing electrical outlet on pool deck March 25
• Fixing electrical in garage October 25
• Fixing electrical in house March 25
• Replacing lights in two bedrooms January 3
• Replacing exhaust fan in office with light
• Mulching beds March 30
• Replacing porch August 30
• Changing curtain rods in livingroom March 21
• Planting items in yard
• Getting rid of gophers
• Redoing side beds and border
• Removing dead stuff from yard
• Removing overgrown stuff from yard
• Cleaning grout in kitchen
• Fixing grout along kitchen backsplash
• Reseeding grass
• Fixing fence on right side of house Apr 13
• Fixing fence on right side of house 
• Fixing closet in bedroom  Oct 13
• Patching and retexturing holes in walls
• Sanding and staining railing
• Sanding and staining window seat
• Pruning plants in backyard
• Touching up exterior paint
• Caulking kitchen sink and around faucets in tub July 22
• Cleaning and painting table for pool deck
• Labeling all plants in yard
• Painting exhaust fan covers, doorbell cover and intake vent covers July 22
• Replacing towel racks and toilet paper dispensers in both bathrooms March 23
• Prepping and painting all stained doors and trim white
• Installing CO2/smoke alarm downstairs April 24
• Change filters on heating/cooling system July 15
• Change out electrical 220 in garage
• Tiling laundry room
• Tiling mbath
• Tiling downstairs bath
• Installing vanity
• Installing Magic Mesh March 12
• Install new vanity lights in mbath August 24
• Install new vanity lights in downstairs bath
• Replacing sand filter and multi-port value June 23
• Install storage for extension ladder April 13
• New herbs June 15
• New plants in pots June 15
• Fix rock wall near pumphouse
• Fix support in weight room closet Oct 13
• Fix rock wall in guest parking area
• Create manual sprinklers for side yard
• Create manual sprinklers for lower back yard
• Work on pool deck boards
• Install reducers on the drip lines
• Installing new mirrors
• Moving old mirror from mbath Sept 20
• Fix electric box cover in laundry room Sept 7
• Insulate attic opening cover Sept 7
• Secured dryer vent Sept 7
• Fix hole from woodpecker Sept 20
• Install new cabinets in laundry room Sept 20
• Unpacking 12000+ lbs of household goods  March 10
• Installing bamboo floors on main floor of house  Oct 13
• Install ceiling fan
• Caulking and filling all baseboards on main floor  Mar 11
• Filling floor in kitchen Jun 9
• Patching pool  Feb 20
• Replacing pool liner July 16
• Powerwash patio furniture
• Powerwash driveway
• Fixing drain in bathtub  Nov 20
• Putting new trim pieces on faucets
• Fix porch stairs
• Fix sprinkler problems
• Fixing fence posts on left side of house
• Demo cabinet in garage Mar 25
• Replace shower door May 3
• Patch and paint touch up on stair walls May 4

These are all the ones I can think of off the top of my head, and as you can see, I have plenty to keep me busy without needing to go get any more supplies any time soon...whew, that makes me tired...LOL

Touch Up Painting at the Bamboo Lagoon

It has taken me forever to get this task done. In fact, I had the upper portion of the stair wall taped off basically since the flooring on the main floor was completed.

On the lower stair wall, I had to do some wall repair before I could paint.

But now I am done, both with the upper and lower stair walls and it looks so much better.

Less Brass

Finished

While the brass shower door in the master bath has been something I wanted to replace for ages, I have held off because it was merely a cosmetic issue and not a need.

Lately however, the door has started to not work as it should and not be connected to the stall correctly. This has made the choice to replace it more of a need and less of a cosmetic issue.

This door is one of four things left in this house that are brass, and I am thrilled to be rid of it. The new door makes the shower look so updated even though the stall itself is original to the house. The lines and color really just update it so much and I am so pleased.

Unfortunately because of the unique shape of my shower stall, this wasn't something I could just order and replace myself, I needed to to have it done. I got an estimate last week and then the door was custom created and the install was today.

Before

I have to wait forty eight hours before I can use it so that the silicone has a chance to dry, so I pulled the necessities out so I could shower in the guest bath downstairs for the next two days.

Next week we start on the fixing of the front porch!

Demo At The Bamboo Lagoon

This has been on my list for a very long time...this is a rough cabinet that was made many years ago to give us some extra storage and counter space in the garage. It was great for the garage it was built for and was even useful in the garage we had in another house, but it absolutely was just taking up room in our current garage. It is also a spider attraction so I was dying to get it out of here.


I thought it was going to be a super fast demo but it ended up being a bit more work, and so while I did get it all done and cut up and loaded in my truck, I wasn't able to get it dropped off at the wood recycler. I'll do that tomorrow when I go to get a part at another store near the recycler.



It is amazing how much space I have now in the garage with that thing gone. It was about 8 ft long by 36 inches high, and 30 inches deep. Now I can move the other big work bench and both of the big saws into better position to actually be used and get the garage organized, which has been a long time coming for sure.

Unpacking at the Bamboo Lagoon

After organizing

So, we had two big shipments of our stuff...the stuff that was in long term storage was packed in 2007 and mostly contained stuff that we would not need living overseas...the second shipment was the items that we did take with us but still sat in storage for a period of time.

Most of our yard stuff did not make the trip because we didn't know what kind of housing we would end up with and we were limited on weight so anything too heavy and not absolutely necessary did not make the cut.

These four big boxes along with all the stuff that is sitting around them was stuff that didn't make the cut and still didn't have a home in our yard quite yet so I was content to leave it packed up.

Before starting...trashcans, tarps, coolers, and boxes

This week, we had a big storm coming our way, and I needed to get the gutter in the back of the house cleaned out. This gutter is actually under the covered area of the back porch so it can't be accessed from the roof and has to be cleaned out using a ladder on the back porch. I couldn't get to that section due to these boxes and extra stuff, so I was motivated to tackle the boxes.

Midway through gutter and cleanup

While doing this, I found a little hidey-hole that a neighborhood rodent has been using...lots of droppings and half eaten acorns, but that little spot no longer exists. Found a half eaten ant trap too...didn't realize those were a delicacy.

Nasty little hidey-hole

It took me a while to get it all unpacked and ended up finding a few surprises (the movers always put a few things in the boxes that don't really make sense), but for the most part, it was all yard stuff.

Some of the yard art will go up on the walls of the house rather quickly (once the storm has passed), but the number of pots we have is pretty immense and most of that was stacked back up near the house in prep for the storm and will be sorted out later.

So while it doesn't look like a lot of accomplished as far as moving things out, in reality it was....everything is cleaned up, organized, and accounted for.

Deterring Woodpeckers

Deterrent on south side

Each fall, we have a few juvenile woodpeckers that seem to get confused between our house and the trees that they should really be pecking on...so each year, I head to the dollar store to find some cheap, colorful, shiny things to hang off the house for a few months...

This year, while I was on the roof cleaning gutters, I also hung the deterrents on the eave near the front of the house (where we have had pecking in the past). The wind usually pulls them down by the end of the fall, but by then the woodpeckers have moved on.

We have a spot that they created a hole at one year that is still only filled but not repainted yet (it is in a high spot on a slant so the extension ladder on unstable ground is scary) but I hope to get up there and paint it in the next few weeks when we get some dry days again.

Unlike some people, I am not willing to hurt the woodpeckers to get them to stop this behavior (not to mention that it is illegal to do so), so this little bit of effort is worth not having to fill holes in our house.

Deterrent on north side

Seems like it wasn't an issue the first two years we were here, but I hate to wait until I hear them pecking before starting to do anything about it since they can do some serious damage in a very short time. These are preemptive strikes for me....LOL

More Pine Straw at the Bamboo Lagoon

After the clean off

We are expecting a big storm here and by experience, I know that cleaning up pine straw is much easier done when dry than wet so I really wanted to at least get it off the roof and solar panels even if it didn't make it into the bin.

In order to get to it, I have to get on the roof in two different spots in order to not damage the solar panels. The first spot, allows access to the gutters as well so I figured while I was up there, I would clean gutters, and move some pine straw.

In order to make the new downspout screen, I had to take one of the other ones out for sizing, and then tin snips and some hardware wire made an easy job of it.

New screen for downspout

The roof was nice and dry and the view always takes my breath away. Gutters were not too bad, although I had to rebuild a screen for one of the down spouts. The back porch side of the gutter can be reached from a painting ladder, but was blocked by another project (subject for another post) so there was a bit of a diversion during part of this day of tasks. The pine straw was pretty massive but easy to move.

Pinestraw before cleanup

While I was up there, I also cut off a few limbs from the pine tree that were hanging too low over the panels and house. The pine tree is so big compared to when the panels were installed so they really don't get sun like they should anymore.

Pile off the roof

Once done, we had a pretty big pile of pine straw with some limbs in it. I was able to get all the limbs into the bin as well as get some of the drainage areas cleaned out of leaves so that we wouldn't have too much run off in our sloped yard. The rest of the pine straw will go in next week's bin.

Pine Straw Clean Up At The Bamboo Lagoon

Pine straw is like leaves, it is a never ending project each year. Even though we don't have nearly the amount of pine straw here that we did in NC, it still requires a certain amount of maintenance. I really only clean up the straw that falls on a particular area of the yard and let the rest lie where it falls.

This area is right under two Ponderosas we have in the yard and is a thoroughfare to the back porch from the front yard so it has to be cleaned up. This is just the pine straw that fell directly on the ground....there is a bunch more that is on our patio roof that I need to push off onto the ground, but I wanted to get this out of the way first. This straw filled up our 45 gallon yard waste bin all by itself. I wanted to get this area cleaned up before I attempt to do some work on the back porch since walking through this area is necessary and the pine straw is very slippery on the landing area.

I raked all of the it off the landing area, and off the sloping area of the rock wall but left it alone at the top where it just adds to the nice forest look that we have on that side of the yard. It took me an hour to get it all cleaned up and that included cleaning up one side of the drainage system that runs along the yard as well.

I think it looks a lot better and I am sure that the plants that were under a portion of it are much happier to be back out in the open.

Pruning Japanese Maple

Before with overgrown Japanese Maple and Lamb's Ear

I didn't get the project that I planned to get done, done but I did make a dent in the other things on the To Do list for the weekend.

This little guy has to be trimmed up every Spring to get it off the ground, and keep it under control. While doing this, I also weeded the three beds adjacent to it and re-stabilized the Japanese lantern.

It was a good workout and I felt like I got something accomplished even if it wasn't everything I wanted to get done today.

We might have rain tomorrow but I am hoping that maybe I'll get the first part of the day to do some additional yard work.

Cleaned up tree and lantern

Flowerbeds filled with weeds

After cleaning up all the weeds

Another angle on the overgrown Japanese Maple

After its hair cute...much happier

Now at least the house doesn't look completely abandoned...if I can get the lawn mowed and two more beds cleared of weeds, the front will start too look present-able.

Shearing at the Bamboo Lagoon

Wow...took a lot of effort but at least it is done for now...this lawn was 9 inches deep when I decided to tackle it yesterday...looks so much better.

Before

I was sure the neighbors were sick of seeing that mess....

After

Still need to do a bunch of weeding and replanting as well as treatment on the lawn but before the storm hit, I am glad I knocked this portion out.

Furniture Rearrange at the Bamboo Lagoon

I know it has been a while. I have kind of stalled out on projects. Not that there aren't tons to be done, but just that with working full time, I find that I am limited on time.

The way that this corner of our living room was set up (even though it wasn't completely set up) has been bugging me for a while, but I haven't had the time or inclination to do anything about it. Well, the other day, this changed...I decided it was time to just try it out. It gave me the opportunity to get some cleaning done in the same part of the room.

So here it is.

This is the before picture. I had the love seat kind of up against the wall, with the step tansu against the stair railing but set up as a buffet and not in the step configuration. I didn't like how the love seat bled over in front of the window and how I couldn't put it all the way up against the wall because of the task light and the heater vent.

So this is now it looks now...

I put the step tansu in the corner set up in the step configuration and added some art to the wall. I moved the love seat in front of the step railing. I think it flows a lot better and makes the whole area more functional. I guess someday I'll be done with the rest of the house...of course this will probably be ten minutes before we sell it...lol.

Dishwasher Door Gasket

On the project list....I think the steak knives have have scrapping a spot of the gasket.

Thankfully there is no leakage yet, but this needs to be taken care of, and soon.

Just one more of those small little tasks that needs to be taken care of and take up room on the To Do list....grrr

Stair Cleanup

This is one of those tasks that has to be repeatedly done around here, but always is kind of gratifying because it is such a stark change.

I probably shouldn't let it set for so long before tackling it each time but time gets away from me pretty quickly.

The St John's Wort is nice to have for the greenery and the erosion control, but it can be a bit evasive at times and you have to stay on top of it or the stairs completely disappear.

The fence in the background needs some work. I hope to get it fixed this spring when it gets warm enough to set cement for the new posts.

And It Is Done

At this point, it wasn't full yet, just getting to the shallow end...took forever to get the water up to the right level where we would turn off the vacuums that are sucking the liner to the sides until it fills up enough to stay put.

You can see how dark the new bottom is but it makes the water so much more blue and quite lovely.

Just about there...only a few more inches to go but they still take forever even with two hoses running.

Finally full, the water looks so much better. Can't wait for it to be balanced and ready for swimming!!

The Bamboo Lagoon Project Continues

So the pool was empty but then we got some rain and it filled up the bottom a bit. I wasn't sure if I should run the pumps more with the water so low so I held off.

You can see all the different tears but these happened after it was empty from the pull of the liner and the fact that it was dry in the sun.

Doesn't even look that big when the liner isn't pressed into the sides from the water. I can't wait to see the new look and have the pool clean and usable again.

Final Touches

Before filling

So this last little bit of filling in the kitchen was final touches to the floor itself. I still have some wall touch ups to do on the stairs but this was the last for the floor itself.

The filler I am using is the stuff my friend, who installed the floors, recommended. It is in the honey oak color, even though our floors are "toast" bamboo. It covers pretty well as you can see from the second shot, you can barely tell where the nail holes are.

Apparently, this stuff hardens like wood too so no worries about it flaking apart later. We used it on all the nail spots and then in a couple of gaps that we found after the floor was nailed down.

After the fill

The Bamboo Lagoon Project

Empty dirty pool looking towards shallow end

So it begins...the liner has been a problem for some time now. The breaking point was this last fall when a raccoon got into the pool and couldn't get out and tore a hole in one corner. Then this winter, one of the railings started to come loose.

I tried to patch the hole a couple of times because the size of it and the location made it very hard to keep the pool full enough to filter correctly but I couldn't keep a patch over it. It was just too big to really stick.

So I talked to the pool company this winter about what my options were and then once we warmed up, made an appointment to have it looked out.

On Thursday, Bill came out and gave it a look, gave me a quote and helped me start draining the pool. It took about 9 hours to completely drain it, and then Bill came back today to do all the measurements for the new liner.

The reason it looks so dirty is because I didn't do any maintenance through the winter (would have been a waste of money) knowing we were going to dump the water this spring.

Looking towards the deep end

It will take about 3 weeks to get the liner in before we can start replacing it. For now, we leave the old liner in just to protect the framing from the weather. Bill said that because we don't have groundwater issues (the yard is sloped and the pool is actually behind and above our house), it should be an easy refit. They don't replace the steps (and to do that would cost almost the same as the liner) but they replace all the other plastic parts and the drain when it is all said and done.

Cayman/Prism

This is the motif that I picked out. One thing I wanted was a simple design that would go well with our deck and landscaping. The dark blue bottom will make the water look awesome. The brown section in this motif is less orange in real life (I was able to see a sample of the vinyl) and will look nice with our weathered redwood deck...now to replace some of the boards on the deck...the list never gets any shorter.

I will update as the project progresses. I am hoping to be off work on the days when Bill is here doing the replacements so I can see the process and take photos.

Moving And Organizing Project Room

This is still a work in  progress but at least we have made a dent and it can be used for guests when it needs to be as well.

We had to move quite a bit around as well and there still needs to be some purging done in order to get everything to fit like it should.

These two pics are what it looked like when we started. The cabinet below is an antique Chinese cabinet that I use for storing paper project supplies. There is a table set up at one end for my computer projects and then one along the window for creative projects. We put the fold out futon on the opposite wall for guests.

The supplies in the picture below are for the tile floors we are going to put in all the wet rooms in the house. They were in the project room but we moved them to the hallway so that the project room could be set up like it should. Hopefully this stuff shouldn't be in the hallway for too long.