Remodeling

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No bumpy road!

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by the Artist

I'm getting more design consults. That is a good thing. Basically if you sign on a project with us, you get me (the Artist/Designer) to help you navigate the sometimes bumpy decision road. It doesn't matter how large or small the project. It doesn't matter if you know what you want, but you don't know how to get there, or you have no idea what you want and don't know where to start, or you just need someone to listen to you work through the options. I'm your girl.

As Applewood grows.. and we are growing quite quickly these days.. I've been able to assist our homeowners in making the decisions needed for their project. Paint colors, tile, lighting, flooring. And here's the great part.. my assistance comes at no additional charge to you. It comes with the signed project. I will come to your home or meet you at a tile shop for as many times as you need till you are sure of your choice.

I've been told that I have a nice manner about me. I am not a "forceful" type person. I've been called "soft". I come alongside and gently lead you to your own decision. I do not push my own personal design sensibilities on you. I identify your style and go from there. It's all about you. It's all about updating your personal style. You don't think you have a style? You do.

So if you have a project in mind.. don't know an interior designer or don't have the funds for one.. you might want to consider Applewood Builders for your project. Not only will you end up with a wonderful new addition or remodel... but the journey to your dream might not be as difficult as you imagine.

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Bags on.

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by the Artist

Off to a brand new week after a different sort of "last week". Our Lead (who is never gone) was on his honeymoon, the Carpenter had to be on site 8-5 (yes he added a new layer of tired), and the weather was not kind (no.. it was downright nasty). It sleeted, it rained, the winds blew hard off the lake, and Friday wrapped up with a nice snow squall. And this is April?

I stopped by the project site today and took the photo for this post. It was in the 30's (still) and there was a good chop on the lake. I promised I would shoot fast! Yes.. please humor the photographer!

We've got quite the eclectic crew right now. Two brothers, a songbird and a scholar. Let me explain. The brothers are our nephews. One is our Lead and the other is his younger brother who has been with us since last summer while he looks for a job in his chosen field of construction management. He has been gaining great hands on experience in the meantime.

Our "scholar" is our newest crew member. He came on about a month ago. He lives on the great Mississippi River where he enjoys exploring it's nooks and grannies. And he is working towards getting his doctorate in Geography! 

Our "songbird" is actually a long time sub. He can usually be found up on scaffolding singing classical aria's. He always has a smile on his face and keeps the crew laughing. The "scholar" said one day at lunch that the "songbird" (not how he referred to him) was the "spice" of the crew. What does spice do? Makes things flavorful and interesting. yep that's him.

So now the crew is back together and "bags on". The weather report for the week is a definite warming trend, (oh please!) and the Carpenter can take a step back (I'm hopeful). 

The photo of the crew is minus our "songbird"!

 

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Burning the midnight oil.

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by the Artist

The cabinet shop (where I work on my painted furniture in preparation for my May 7th sale) is off limits right now. The Carpenter has a massive window painting project going. All of the work tables are being used. Including "my" table. My furniture is covered up and not easy to get to. So I wait. And I watch.

It's been intense prep for the new windows for the Modern Farmhouse http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/ Project. He is using a paint sprayer. It works great, once everything is masked off. Then it's almost like flying with a tailwind. 

So he's back to long work days right now. During the day he runs many errands, spends time project managing at the job site, and meets with potential customers in the evening (so far two meetings this week). We're also running an ad for a new carpenter so he's handling those contacts. He ends his days in the shop painting till very late. He has a plan for painting the windows here and then transporting them as they are needed to the project. This will ensure they stay nice and safe. ...

(I started this post last night with intention to finish this morning. The Carpenter told me he wrote a post late last evening ..it came into my email at 1:50 AM! It made me smile as I read it. We wrote about the exact same subjects between this post and the previous! Great minds and married a long time people do think alike!)

from the Carpenter....

Better late then never! To all those wonderful birthday wishes from you that sent them, I say a big thank you! I really just checked in to the Facebook page right now and saw them. Good thing the Artist has a FB presence because I don’t. So again, thanks, oh and remember…Bobs your Uncle! (He’s my “Unca” too)

We continue to be as busy as we have been in a long time. Still trying to balance the employee search thing. We will see what happens. In the mean time, one of my guys is still on vacation enjoying the Arizona sun, another is getting ready to get married in 3 weeks. Man, my nephew getting married….The Artist told me I was getting old earlier tonight, I guess so, but I just finished another 16 hour day. Can an old guy do that? No way!

Yep, I’m in the shop late again. We are painting all the windows for the Modern Farmhouse Project ahead of time. It is very involved to do it correctly. We have stripped off all the hardware and weather stripping that is removable. Then we masked off with tape and masking paper. Monday night I was out there till 2am, tonight 1am. Its one of those things that when you get in the zone, its hard to stop and the hours slip by and before you know it it gets late. It’s a good thing my shop is now on the property where we live. Many years ago when we had our full time cabinetmaking and furniture building business, along with the remodeling, many many nights I would be there till midnight or later and then have to drive home about 18 miles. Not fun. Now I can just walk about 40 feet to the back door.

Tonight when I wrapped up, I went to the back yard and sat on a rock wall. Even though it was dark, I could still see out into our marsh. I just sat for a few minutes taking it in. Even in winter, well almost spring now, the marsh is alive. Geese were honking on the pond island; there were a couple of coyotes out there yipping at something, and two rabbits jumped out of the pile of firewood that is waiting for me to split. I have spent hours and hours over the last 18 years just enjoying what God has given us in the beautiful property we own. Its an acre and a half of work at times, but an acre and a half of "Heaven on Earth" most of the time.

Do you know what "Peepers" are? I can’t wait to announce to the Artist some night coming up very soon….The peepers are back! You will have to ask her, and I guarantee when you do, she will smile.

The Artist... I wrote about "Peepers" in the previous post. :)

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The story outside my kitchen window.

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by the Artist

I looked outside my kitchen window today and it struck me... how many times I've viewed the changing seasons of a marsh from that window.

Right now it wears a coat of brown and gold with some patches of white. In just a few weeks it will start to wake up. Tiny tiny blades of grass will start poking up through last season's gold. You won't even see the green unless you look close. Awakening blade by blade, leaf by leaf.

The first sign of spring for me has always been the spring "peepers". The Carpenter always announces to me when he hears those little frogs on that first balmy spring night. My Grandfather called them "peepers". 

As the temps warm the green grows and soon enough the marsh wears a fresh coat of green. By the 4th of July the marsh grass is nearly 5 feet tall. Summer storms create swirly flatten paths of grass. Almost like the wind left footprints in the grass while we slept.

Full summer the marsh wears a mature green. It is lush. life. 

By early fall the grass has seeded, the cattails have lifted their heads high. The green starts dying back. It shortens. The marsh takes on hints of gold. The fog hangs over.

By November it wears its golden coat again. The "peepers" have started their long winter's nap.

December's snows flatten the landscape. It wears its coat of white. Pheasants fly over and the deer make their winter trails. Another cycle is complete. 

I've watched this "story" for 19 seasons. All from my kitchen window. The same kitchen window that we moved to the back of the house so I could look out the window at the beautiful marsh as I worked in the kitchen. It was worth moving the window. It was worth moving the kitchen! Well maybe the Carpenter wouldn't agree.

 

late winter, early spring, summer, fall and winter.

It's all about the flash[ing]

by the Carpenter

It’s the flashing I tell ya!

Ok, I know I have talked about this before but it ticks me off so much its worth another post.

We have been on several projects over the years when we have had to give the homeowner news they don’t want to hear. The news is we have found significant rot and decay in a major structural component of their home. It happened again this week.

We have been on the stucco removal stage of our project - Modern Farmhouse- http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/for a couple of weeks now and its been going pretty smoothly. Until this week. We uncovered two major areas of rot that had to be repaired. These were expensive repairs– increased labor and the cost of additional materials. Not happy news for our homeowner.

What ticks me off is this. Incorporating one simple piece of material could have prevented the added work on this project and others we have had. It’s a $10 piece of material http://www.dictionaryofconstruction.com/definition/flashing.html and when installed correctly would have stopped all these problems.

Its called flashing! Whether its window, dormer, door, or kick-out flashing, they all do the same thing. They all divert water away from vulnerable areas of your home. When installed properly, they will protect your home for years and years.

Here is another project we did with major rot damage due to lack of flashing. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.378883805532138.94725.342655239154995&type=3

What ticks me off more is how many carpenters, siders, and roofers have no idea as to what they are doing. They do their thing and then they are gone and then the problems don’t show up for years. When the problems do show up, the repairs can be extremely expensive.

If you are having work done on your home... remember to ask if they have added the appropriate flashing. Just that one inquiry will save you or the future owner of your home a boatload of stress and money.

 


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Bitter and stucco.

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by the Artist

It's been a bitter week. Cold. Wind. Icy sun. And of course our crew is outside! The Carpenter has a temperature no work cut-off of -25 degrees below zero. We haven't hit that wind chill this week but I'm betting it's been darn near close! 

Our crew has put in full days despite the cold on our latest project the "Modern Farmhouse". It's been a busy week starting with exterior stucco removal. I stopped by one day and was surprised to see how neatly it is removed. They were sawing out a grid pattern and prying the sections off. I was told that is to protect the material below the stucco. You don't want to just wack away at it! It's demo but it's dignified demo! I can hear the Carpenter laughing now!

Already this first week a dumpster of stucco was taken away (here's a little fact- you can't rent a large dumpster to dispose of stucco.. only the smallest size because of how heavy the load would be if a large dumpster was used). Just removing that material has made a world of difference to the look of the home. For the size of the project it was decided that a once a week meeting with the Carpenter and the homeowners was in order. A good face-to-face time to discuss the progress of the project, voice any concerns and address any questions. I think this is a good idea. Once a project gets going, there is a lot of commotion, momentum, noise, equipment, people. It helps to stop and be in the moment and take stock.

Despite what Mother Nature threw our way.. we're off to a good start! And after months and years of planning for the homeowners and more recently us... it's a fine place to be!

 

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A white start.

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by the Artist

We started a project yesterday that was a year in the making. We dreamed about this project, anticipated this project and worked hard for this project. We were ready to go. Plans finalized, budget settled, inspections made, engineers made happy, dumpster and windows ordered. The stars were perfectly lined up. As close to perfect as possible.

Mother Nature had other plans. Blizzard. Yep.. it snowed and snowed and snowed the day before the official start. Our first storm of the season. The Carpenter was tense. Not only was he starting a significant project.. but it was snowing sled dogs. He kept staring out the window as the wind and snow blustered by at a severe slant.

Not only did he have to make a decision about when and if to start... but now had the added task to get the job site cleared before the crew could start. He always clears the snow off his sites.. that is very important to him. But... first he had to get on the tractor and clear out Applewood headquarters. So late into the evening he pushed and scooped white and worried. 

But like the mailman.. not much stops the Applewood crew or the Carpenter. At 9 AM the project started! Shovels and snowblower in hand the crew removed the snow and started demo. 

Follow the story of this home as it begins it's "Second Act" on this blog and our Facebook page. 

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A beautiful mess.

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by the Artist

Last night the Carpenter walked into the room... he said... "how bad do I look?" I looked at him. He was covered in white globs. I am used to him "wearing" whatever he is working with- paint, sheetrock mud, saw dust, glue. Even if he is actually NOT hands on... he manages to connect with whatever substance is his general vicinity. My laundry effort is sometimes monumental. 

Then I asked... "okay.. now what happened?" He said.. "well I was exploring a new technique to touch up ceiling texture with the goal being to not have to re-texture an entire ceiling." This involved a plastic water bottle and an air compressor. 

He turned the compressor on and sheetrock mud shot out of the bottle and landed on the Carpenter and the ceiling and the front of the shop cabinets and many, many other places. I guess it was quite spectacular. And quite funny. Sorry I missed it. After a quick visit to the shop I've mandated a thorough clean-up.

 

 

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Don't walk on that floor!

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Monday morning I realized I needed to stop over at our Floral Dr project. That is the "honey do" project we are finishing up which I wrote about on my January 7th post "Cross that off your list!". http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/carpenterandtheartist-blog/. I had a ton of things to do but I knew I had to go shoot some pics of the project.

It was a good day to stop. They were just starting to install the hickory wood floor. I have never seen a wood floor installed. Now I know why they are more expensive. It's major prep before the first piece is stapled down!

To start.. the wood needs to be delivered and sit stacked in the environment where it is to be installed for at least a week. You can see in the photo below how it was stacked to acclimate... even that is interesting!

Then each and every piece must be placed so no end seams line up. This is called "racking" a floor. And each piece comes at random lengths from the supplier. It's a lot of bending over and trying sizes. I think I'd lose my mind! Not to mention my back.

After a few rows are laid in place and prepared... then the stapling can start. Each piece is moved forward and fitted into position. Piece by piece. A special tool is used called a wood flooring stapler. 

After all the wood is installed then it gets sanded, seams get filled with wood filler, sanded again, then "water popped" (a light coating of water so stain goes on more evenly), stained, then two coats of polyurethane. Welcome beautiful wood floor!

I had no idea. I will never look at a custom wood floor the same again. I might not ever want my own custom wood floor.. I might not allow anyone to walk on it! And certainly not little muddy puppy paws.

 

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Its January 21, 2016…

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by the Carpenter

... and we have had very few cold days and very little snow so far the winter. We had a pretty good cold snap last week, but it was short lived. And we were inside for a change! We have another two weeks or so before we go back out.

We will be starting a fairly involved exterior/interior remodel project. Yes we will be starting outside, that’s just how it goes. But it is almost February, which in my book spells spring. The days are definitely getting longer, it hit 21 degrees today and they say maybe 30 again this weekend. If you are a fan of Joe Soucheray of "Garage Logic" fame http://www.1500espn.com/shows/garage-logic/, you already know we are in the middle of spring. In "Garage Logic" land, spring started December 22nd, the day after the shortest day of the year. The first day of summer is March 21st. Unfortunately that also means the first day of fall is June 22nd, the day after the longest day of the year, but we won't think of that right now. I will continue to enjoy being in the "middle" of spring for now. (this is how you have to think if you live in a part of the country that gets long winters!)

I need a good long dry spring. Our up-coming project will be starting outside. We will be handling a variety of areas with this project. Removing stucco, replacing old shingles, framing new roofline details, adding insulation, installing new windows, doors, siding, soffits/fascia, wood floors, carpet, and interior trim. We are in the middle of meetings with the homeowners, building inspectors, architects, engineers and subcontractors. Yesterday I had our lead carpenter up in the attic and down in the crawl space, getting more information for the engineering that has to be done to satisfy the inspectors.

There have been several design meetings, many hours of tweaking drawings to give the homeowners our best ideas to assist them through the planning phase. The goal being to land in a place where they are happy with design, products, colors, and the overall feel of the home.. all within their budget. We are getting there. 

All that is happening along with another addition we are bidding on, another interior remodel, and I think now I have four bathrooms on my desk (make that six, I looked at two more last week) that are in various stages of the bidding process. This jigsaw puzzle is growing. It will be a good challenge to see how all of it fits together. One of my brothers recently asked me why I keep pricing things when so much is happening already. The answer is.. nothing is for sure. Ever! Easy come easy go. In a blink of an eye, those projects you thought were solid can disappear in a heartbeat. Through the course of this past fall and winter, I had three projects. I thought they were for sure. Had proposals on two of them. I usually know I have the job before I type up proposals. One of those projects I was actually meeting with the homeowners to sign the proposal and receive the down payment and they decided to pull it. Put it on the shelf for a while. Yep, nothing is for sure.

If everything happens to go our way, well that’s a good problem to have. It will put our backlog well into summer. It will help nudge along the task of building our crew, and maybe, just maybe I will get one of those new shiny shoulders I have been admiring through the front window of the "New Shiny Shoulder Shop" on 5th and Main.

Ok, time for bed. I told the artist I was not going to work tonight and all of a sudden I have been working on this for over an hour.

Good night Gracie!