- Dan Schumacher
I've Been Framed!
Not me, the house. Part of the house. Actually the future family room in the basement. It felt great to finally be building something rather then just ripping out plaster and tearing down walls.
Based on recommendations from friends and family I have gone all in on Milwaukee M18 Fuel tools. In addition to the miter saw I have a hammer drill, grinder, Sawzall, oscillating multi-tool, flashlight, and probably a few more I can't recall. I was a bit skeptical at first but I must admit it is very convenient not to have to drag power cords everywhere.
One of the goals of the renovation was to clean up the transition from the family room out into hallway leading to the stairs. There was a bit of a "nub" on either side that prevented a nice clean look. One of the issues with correcting this deficiency was the need to shore up the ceiling joists and add a header.
Getting the 2x6 and 4x4 temporarily attached to the ceiling joists proved to be rather challenging. The 2x6 wasn't so bad. I was smart enough to start a couple of nails while it was still on the ground and while holding it in place with one hand was able to drive the nails with the other. The 4x4 wasn't cooperating. After several attempts and even more cuss words I was able to toenail a couple of nails in place to hold it up so I could install the screw jacks.
I asked the building inspector to stop by and make sure the work I had done to date was up to par. He didn't have much to say which I guess is a good thing. One of the things we discussed was the lack of ceiling height. He recommended cutting out the bottom top plate in order to place the header as high as possible. With that, the clearance is only about 6'5". If you are tall and you come to visit watch your head!
Before I get too far into the topic of painting the exterior of the house I would like to say one thing. The snow is gone!!! Even in the places where the sun doesn't shine. In case you couldn't tell, we are leaning towards painting the house blue. With some outside assistance I came up with the four choices shown in the photograph. Working from left to right we will call them options one through four. If you have an opinion on which you like, dislike, or dislike them all please let me know. Your input will be taken into advisement.
All work and no play makes for a very unhappy family. We decided to expand our horizons and find another place to take a walk besides the Centennial Trail. With the assistance of Google (have you never found what you were looking for on Google?) we ventured out onto the Bluff Trails. One of the nice things is that the starting point is just a couple of miles from the house.
Being the time of the year that it is, when we weren't hiking or eating, we were watching basketball. Way to go UVA! They are going back to the Final Four for the first time in 35 years. Wish them luck and cheer them on when they play Auburn next Saturday.
