Author Archives: ellen

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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Refrigerator Recycled

Posted on January 8, 2019 by ellen

Our used Energy Star refrigerator was making a lot of noise. It was also starting to use more electricity and forming ice at the top of the freezer. The temperature was not staying constant either. All of these issues led … Continue reading →

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A New House in Arvada

Posted on December 31, 2018 by ellen

My son and his wife have decided to move their family closer to us! I have been seriously searching real estate for them since this spring. Home prices went up about 8-10% in our area this year. But there was … Continue reading →

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Red Letter Day

Posted on December 21, 2018 by ellen

We passed the final remodel inspection this week! I had scheduled the final again a couple of weeks ago but when the inspector arrived he said he could only do structural. So I called in and scheduled the correct type … Continue reading →

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A Week in Hawaii!

Posted on December 15, 2018 by ellen

We were invited to a whole week in Hawaii with our son and his family. What a beautiful place and lovely distraction it was. We had a wonderful time with our two littlest grandchildren. They seemed to love the time … Continue reading →

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Gorilla Epoxy Glue Fix

Posted on December 3, 2018 by ellen

The shark bite I used to connect the shower hose to the wall was too loose even though I pulled it forward to attach the holder and added a backplate. I tried using caulk to attach the holder to its … Continue reading →

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A Place for the Internet Equipment

Posted on November 28, 2018 by ellen

About a year ago I moved the internet modem to the living room from the hall closet. We were not getting a good enough signal at the back of the house. I have several types of monitoring systems that are … Continue reading →

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Shower Extras

Posted on November 25, 2018 by ellen

Apparently I am good at making holes in the finished walls. One of the extras I put in the family room bath is a small rack for a wet washcloth. It seems that without a traditional soap dish there is … Continue reading →

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Hot and Cold Switch

Posted on November 25, 2018 by ellen

I mixed up the hot and cold piping to the shower. I had hot connected on the right side when it is supposed to be on the left. Fortunately the supply pipes are exposed in the utility room behind the … Continue reading →

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Shower Fixtures

Posted on November 24, 2018 by ellen

The fixtures for the shower are Delta Champagne Bronze. I think the color is a nice complement to the dark brown tile. The style name is Lahara which is a very plain style. I couldn’t find the diverter trim in … Continue reading →

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Caulking Mess

Posted on November 22, 2018 by ellen

Have I ever mentioned I hate caulking? The family room shower is large and that meant lots of caulking. At the ceiling, at the floor, in the corners and inside the niches; all needed caulk. I used the same dark … Continue reading →

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Setting the Granite Shower Bench

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

I had a nice piece of dark brown granite already cut for the bench. Originally I wanted to use left over granite from the sink top but it was not wide enough to completely cover the bench, and the narrow … Continue reading →

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Grouting the Shower

Posted on November 21, 2018 by ellen

It took me several days to get the family room bath shower grouted. My right arm got really sore. But after a few days it was back in shape. This shower took a lot of grout. I mixed seven batches … Continue reading →

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Shower Floor is Mortared

Posted on November 11, 2018 by ellen

The shower is getting closer to being finished! The floor layout has finally been mortared into place. I mortared the mosaic tile first, then waited a day to mortar the trim tiles. That way I could adjust them to the … Continue reading →

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Shifting Tile Layouts

Posted on November 5, 2018 by ellen

No matter what I do the tile in the family room shower is not going to be square. The walls are off square and my job is to figure out how best to hide the tapers. Of course I asked … Continue reading →

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Replacing the Oven

Posted on November 5, 2018 by ellen

This is our third oven. Fourth if we count the temporary countertop model we have used when in between broken ovens. First we used a fun technology with the purchase of an Advantium oven. A combination microwave and halogen heating … Continue reading →

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Wood fired boiler!

Posted on October 30, 2018 by ellen

It works! I’m so pleased with the wood boiler system. This fall it was easy to start up. Just a few steps and it was all working as designed. I recorded the steps I took to get the first fire … Continue reading →

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Kerdi Shower Floor Installation

Posted on October 26, 2018 by ellen

The Kerdi shower floor is made of sloped pieces of EPS styrofoam that are fitted and mortared to the floor with a non-modified mortar. I had to trim the pieces of shower floor to fit my shower. The floor pieces … Continue reading →

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Leveling Cement on the Shower Floor

Posted on October 25, 2018 by ellen

I was fortunate to pick up a couple of free 50 lb bags of Mapei Novoplan 2 self leveling cement compound for free. I needed it to level the shower floor. Although some filling had been done with mortar, specifically … Continue reading →

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