Home Improvement

[always_learning]

I went backwards through this thread and now that I've seen everyone's projects, I'm itching to get out and do something! Everyone's photos look great and I'm particularly in love with the outdoor living ones. I guess I still have winter cabin fever.... we went right from winter into a strange monsoon spring and are just now getting decent weather.

We have a few projects to do but are at the mercy of Mother Nature. We need a bunch of sod but with all the rain we've had, no one is cutting yet, so we don't even have a possible timeline. We can't do our other projects until we get (most of) the sod down so we're in a holding pattern.

 

[RobbieB]

I'm redoing the shelves / clothes rods / supports in the walk in closet. Was cheap particle board that I repaired after the huge weight load of my wife's clothes caused it to fail. They don't make the original supports anymore so I have 3 new braces, 2 plastic coated wood rods, 3/4" thick solid pine shelf boards and I'm going to laminate aromatic cedar plywood on top the pine.

Pics after job done -

 

[NW-Bound]

I have an old version of that set up, and even with the cable mine has twisted and doesn't swing free any more. Of course, it was working fine before it went through Hurricane Irma last year. I jury rigged it to work (sorta kinda), but it looks pretty funky. No pictures included. Next winter I've got fence work on my to do list, so I'll be replacing the gate. I'll likely use the same set up again. The gate on the other side of the house came through the storm completely fine.

The steel frame is loose, it has a center member that just floats in the upright channels. The thing is made rigid by screwing into the 2x4's. As wood slowly rots the screws will eventually loosen and the gate will sag. Pulling up the sagging end with the cable fixes this.

Around here, the commonly used steel-frame gate is the following. It's a welded frame of 4'x6', and people usually fill in the gaps between vertical bars with cedar planks. See the holes in the horizontal slats that are predrilled for that purpose.

If it does not fit in between the cinder block columns you are out-of-luck, as that's the only size.

 

[RobbieB]

That looks pretty rigid to me.

 

[Freedom56]

Oh, that is wonderful!

The number one wish list item I have for our next house is an outdoor living area/kitchen in the pool area. We just have a small covered patio where we are now and I wish it was bigger. We both love being outside but our current house doesn't lend to much outdoor fun/relaxing.

I also miss the pool we had at our other house. I miss looking out over the water.....

Thanks for the feedback. It's a salt water pool so I don't have to worry about adding too many chemicals. I usually start my day outside with my laptop and watch the financial news on TV. We use the outdoor kitchen a lot. The pool and spa is nice after a long bike ride or at night under the stars.

 

[harley]

Around here, the commonly used steel-frame gate is the following. It's a welded frame of 4'x6', and people usually fill in the gaps between vertical bars with cedar planks. See the holes in the horizontal slats that are predrilled for that purpose.

If it does not fit in between the cinder block columns you are out-of-luck, as that's the only size.

That looks like it would keep the inmates from escaping.

 

[sengsational]

I'm just made a little discovery.

I've fixed (with Bondo) a few smaller rot problems, but I'm window shopping now. And I don't mean looking without buying.

 

[meierlde]

Around here, the commonly used steel-frame gate is the following. It's a welded frame of 4'x6', and people usually fill in the gaps between vertical bars with cedar planks. See the holes in the horizontal slats that are predrilled for that purpose.

If it does not fit in between the cinder block columns you are out-of-luck, as that's the only size.

Where I live if you want a gate custom made of steel there are places that will weld it up for you Just a matter of having the right jigs for the size, they can be assembled from wood. They would hold the gate together while it is tack welded and then the gate would hold itself together while the final welding is done. Likely one might have to go to a rural area to find
such operations as farms and ranches need custom sized gates a lot.

 

[NW-Bound]

A custom welded gate would cost more than the $77 I paid at Home Depot. The total cost added up to more than $130 after paying extra for the hardware such as the hinges and latch, and the cedar planks.

It is a couple of inches narrower than the spacing between the cinder block columns, so I had to build up a door jamb using redwood 2"x4". This project took me a day.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-ft-W-...ing-Wood-Block-Wall-Fence-Gate-46IG/202525397

 

[RobbieB]

Redid the walk in closet. I had to repair it once as the load from my wife's amazing clothes collection buckled the brackets and broke the particle board shelves.

New shelves of 3/4" pine boards, new plastic covered rods and 3 new brace/brackets and 3 new rod ends. Joint between the 2 boards under braced with 1/8" aluminum bar secured with 6 machine screws and locknuts. Lastly all covered over with 1/4" aromatic cedar plywood laminated with wood glue.

That shelf / rod is never coming down -

 

[W2R]

Where I live if you want a gate custom made of steel there are places that will weld it up for you Just a matter of having the right jigs for the size, they can be assembled from wood. They would hold the gate together while it is tack welded and then the gate would hold itself together while the final welding is done. Likely one might have to go to a rural area to find
such operations as farms and ranches need custom sized gates a lot.

Here, everyone wants the traditional New Orleans ornate wrought iron fences and gates and balconies and burglar bars, because, hey, this is New Orleans and we all want our houses to look like it and fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.

So, we have to go to a wrought iron place that will custom make them, and they cost an arm and a leg.

I broke off one of the ornate finials on the gate at my old/former house, while throwing a big heavy log over the gate and missing slightly (I know, don't ask! ). That could have been frightfully expensive. Luckily I was able to glue it back on with JB Weld and nobody could tell the difference.

Now I am old enough that my log throwing days are past, and no more need for JB Weld artistry.

 

[meierlde]

Here, everyone wants the traditional New Orleans ornate wrought iron fences and gates and balconies and burglar bars, because, hey, this is New Orleans and we all want our houses to look like it and fit in with the rest of the neighborhood.

So, we have to go to a wrought iron place that will custom make them, and they cost an arm and a leg.

I broke off one of the ornate finials on the gate at my old/former house, while throwing a big heavy log over the gate and missing slightly (I know, don't ask! ). That could have been frightfully expensive. Luckily I was able to glue it back on with JB Weld and nobody could tell the difference.

Now I am old enough that my log throwing days are past, and no more need for JB Weld artistry.

Is it real wrought iron or low carbon steel. They stopped making real wrought iron in the 1960s because it was so much more expensive than very low carbon steel. (Wrought Iron was made low carbon by the puddling process where pig iron was stirred over a fire to burn the carbon out of the metal, but it was extremely labor intensive) I believe true wrought iron is only made in heritage operations not commercial ones. The big difference is that true wrought iron also included some slag by the process in which the material after the puddling was pounded into bars. (Look on youtube for details on how it was done). Apparently this made the material more rust resistant than the steel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrought_iron

So most wrought iron you see today is not really wrought iron but either recycled wrought iron, or steel.

 

[Ronstar]

Finally finished my TV wall.

 

[rodi]

Add me to the love the Jersey shore group. DH's family owned two bungalows on 12th Street in North Wildwood. Lots of vacations there, even after we moved to the West coast. Their property was closer to the back bay, though. I have great memories of taking the kids to Morey's pier and eating custard cones.

 

[target2019]

Finally finished my TV wall.

Nice! Way to fill that wall.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Finally finished my TV wall.

Gorgeous!!!

 

[NW-Bound]

Very nice. And lots of room to install an even more ginormous TV later on.

 

[samclem]

I'm just made a little discovery.

I've fixed (with Bondo) a few smaller rot problems, but I'm window shopping now. And I don't mean looking without buying.

Ouch. Whatcha gonna do? Looks like the window and maybe who-knows-how-much framing and trim.

I confess that I don't see the point in painted wooden windows. Unless the wooden window is stained and intended to be a visual focal point/style element, I'd prefer some other material.

Hey, I recognize that Harbor Freight oscillating tool, I've got one just like it--works great, though a little "buzzy" compared to the nicer ones. It's like Mr Gillette's business model: the tool is almost free, but the razors aren't.

 

[sengsational]

Ouch. Whatcha gonna do? Looks like the window and maybe who-knows-how-much framing and trim.

Really coincidental, but my neighbor was having new windows delivered the other day. I looked closer at their house and they have the same window as my rotted one that they'll be taking out. The owner said to watch out for whenever the installation was (didn't know when), but I could probably get the old window from the installer. I could either use it, or at least use the bottom sash, the sill, or other parts.

I confess that I don't see the point in painted wooden windows. Unless the wooden window is stained and intended to be a visual focal point/style element, I'd prefer some other material.

Me too. Probably at the time the house was built, they were the cheapest option.

Hey, I recognize that Harbor Freight oscillating tool, I've got one just like it--works great, though a little "buzzy" compared to the nicer ones. It's like Mr Gillette's business model: the tool is almost free, but the razors aren't.

Yeah, the blades doubled the price, lol!

 

[RobbieB]

The guys are installing. Just beautiful cabs, solid Maple fronts and doors, rest is high quality fine layer plywood.

Got me 2 of these lazy susans! Less bending and reaching for my old age -

 

[USA]

Cabinets look very nice! We have a corner swivel too. I love it for our spices. Great use of space.

 

[lemming]

The guys are installing. Just beautiful cabs, solid Maple fronts and doors, rest is high quality fine layer plywood.

Got me 2 of these lazy susans! Less bending and reaching for my old age -

It is too late for you but I put in pot drawers for all my lower cabinets and am super thrilled with them. No bending and reaching into the back cabinets. I don't actually have a corner cabinet though. New kitchen is functional-I actually have countertop space.

 

[RobbieB]

I have some of those too. All the drawers are heavy duty solid maple dovetailed self closing long slide full length bliss!

 

[RobbieB]

Day 3, stone installation.

All cabinets installed;

Nice stuff too -

Big slabs of granite on sawhorses in front yard!

 

[samclem]

It is too late for you but I put in pot drawers for all my lower cabinets and am super thrilled with them. No bending and reaching into the back cabinets.

Ours is like this, too. Every lower cabinet box is full-extension drawers only (except the sink cabinet). Some cabinets have three drawers (deep drawers for pots, casserole dishes on edge, etc), some are up to five high (implements, spices, knives, wraps, etc). I was not totally sold, but DW insisted and she was 100% correct. Roll-outs are okay (better than low shelves), but they eventually scrape up the inside of the doors and getting at things is a two-step process, it is a one-step process with drawers. We love 'em, money well spent.