Author Archives: ellen

Basement Bathroom

Posted on October 23, 2019 by ellen

One of the earliest projects in the new house was a quick remodel of the basement bathroom. All the bathrooms had green Formica countertops, metal sinks and plastic crystal handled faucets. they were functional but builder quality and low end … Continue reading →

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Recover a Loveseat

Posted on October 20, 2019 by ellen

One of the latest projects has been recovering a loveseat to match my granddaughter’s room. We found the perfect loveseat for story time with a parent and two children. Luckily though it was on a third floor the lady helped … Continue reading →

Posted in -Chronological Recent Posts, Design Style, Distractions, Furniture, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Sideline at son’s house | Comments Off on Recover a Loveseat

Year-Long Distraction

Posted on October 19, 2019 by ellen

My son and daughter-in-law bought their first house just three miles away from us about a year ago. It needed some remodeling and lots of updating and in the spirit of Do It Yourself I resolved to help them save … Continue reading →

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Dirt Room Revisions

Posted on October 19, 2019 by ellen

My grandson likes to call the mud room in their new house, the dirt room. He has a great sense of humor for a three year old. There was a lot of preparation involved in remodeling the old laundry room … Continue reading →

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Mini Split Wifi Control

Posted on September 13, 2019 by ellen

I wrote support about the issue with the wifi connection and a month later I heard back from a Mr. Cool support person. There are two different wifi control apps available for iPhones, one is Mr. Cool and the other … Continue reading →

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New DIY Mini Split

Posted on September 13, 2019 by ellen

I gave up on the used mini split that I installed two years ago and never got the lines to hold a vacuum. Since the temperatures have been in the 90’s almost all summer, we needed air conditioning for a … Continue reading →

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Spray Paint Booth

Posted on July 23, 2019 by ellen

I decided to improve my painting technique for the cabinet doors. My brother recommended spraying them. I have a HPLV high pressure low volume spray gun and a compressor and the last time I used them was for lacquer and … Continue reading →

Posted in Distractions, Finishes, Maintenance and Repair, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Sideline at son’s house | Comments Off on Spray Paint Booth

Patching the Tile Floor

Posted on June 13, 2019 by ellen

At my son’s new house we shortened the kitchen island because it was so long it interfered with the breakfast area. The eat in kitchen was important for the young family so the last island cabinet and an ancient trash … Continue reading →

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Learning to Re-Key Locks

Posted on May 25, 2019 by ellen

I found a fantastic deal on new doorknobs for my son’s house at the Restore. Interestingly there were almost enough for sale for the whole house including passage sets, privacy sets and keyed sets. They were exactly what we were … Continue reading →

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Reused Vinyl Plank Flooring

Posted on May 15, 2019 by ellen

The master bathroom in my son’s house had practically new vinyl plank flooring installed over the old tile. The tile in the mud room was dated and unattractive. I decided to salvage the master bath floor and taking it up … Continue reading →

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Tile Removal Means Drywall Repair

Posted on May 6, 2019 by ellen

I did not take my time removing the tile backsplash in my son’s kitchen. I hacked the tile off with a pry bar and hammer. Directions after the fact said don’t do it this way, Remove the grout first and … Continue reading →

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Direct Wire Under Counter LED Lights

Posted on May 3, 2019 by ellen

My son’s house had under counter LED lights which are nice, but they were the plug in type which looked messy. They each had to be turned on separately. With a switch for the light over the sink right there … Continue reading →

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Purchasing Agent

Posted on April 28, 2019 by ellen

I volunteered to purchase remodeling items for my son’s new house. He will have a contractor remodel the master bathroom and install a laundry closet upstairs. We are also making minor repairs/remodels to other rooms in the house and he … Continue reading →

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DIY Micro-Topping

Posted on April 23, 2019 by ellen

My son and his family bought a new house close to us that needed some remodeling. He is concentrating on upgrading the master bath and adding a second floor laundry. I’ve been spending most of my time helping out with … Continue reading →

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Globe Trotting

Posted on April 21, 2019 by ellen

Unfortunately, progress has slowed since we passed the final building inspection in December. Somewhat because of travel. We spent Christmas in Wursalen Germany with our daughter and family. Then we returned for our grandkids birthdays in February. In between we … Continue reading →

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Snug as a Bug

Posted on March 26, 2019 by ellen

Facebook reminded me that it has been seven years since we had our energy audit. Seven years since I retired. A bit over seven years since we purchased the house. The good news is that the property values have escalated, … Continue reading →

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Where Are We On LEED?

Posted on February 8, 2019 by ellen

It has been a long time since I registered our Twinsprings project for LEED. Seven years ago I contacted EnergyLogic about contracting with them to be the energy rater and certification liaison for LEED. We drew up a contract on … Continue reading →

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Going with Lutron Wifi Switches

Posted on February 7, 2019 by ellen

This is for my son’s new house but I’ve been enjoying installing them. I purchased the first Lutron Caseta switch and bridge to control the ERV with wifi. But I was not able to get the signal to match what … Continue reading →

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Who Needs a Video Doorbell?

Posted on January 10, 2019 by ellen

Our house is basically all front doors. Besides all the living room french doors there are two entry doors. One door is to the airlock entry which we use most, the other is the old covered entry. We extended the … Continue reading →

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Happy New Year!

Posted on January 9, 2019 by ellen

We spent Christmas and New Year’s with our family in Würselen, Germany. They have a very comfortable apartment there with a huge guest room that was inviting and big enough for ping pong ball soccer played by the grandson and … Continue reading →

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