I'm focusing on small projects that I can do, here and there, until I get back to work on Calderwood. I recently put up a French cleat wall section in my workshop so I could put away some of the tools that don't fit in my drawer storage. Then I built some storage for all my track saw tracks. I had Continue Reading
June 20, 2018
Building Beams at Calderwood Cottage
We've completed round 3 at Calderwood Cottage and we're still not done but we made a lot of progress! We have an awesome new deck! And in the kitchen and living room, we added new, extended and bulked out some existing beams. Some of this work was simply for the look of it. most of the beam work Continue Reading
June 5, 2018
Finishing the Deck
We partnered with Wood, Naturally to build a deck at Calderwood Cottage. Phase two of this project was more effort than we planned for. However, it was totally worth the effort. It makes the whole house look bigger and provides additional space for outdoor living and entertaining. We had been Continue Reading
June 4, 2018
Building a Deck
Our cute little house looks so tiny nestled on it's 1.1 acre lot. We're pretty excited to partner with Wood, Naturally to build a deck. This project will create an outdoor living space, take advantage of the beautiful country views, and make our little Calderwood Cottage appear bigger! Clean Continue Reading
April 18, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 3 – part 2 (Floors)
Hallelujah, the drywall is hung, mudded AND we stayed up late and got up early to get it painted. Now it's time to get some floors installed! (At least ONE room before Sid get's here!) We received product from Armstrong Flooring, and were so excited to open that first box of Maple Engineered Continue Reading
April 17, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 3, part 1 – Over Budget and Behind Schedule
Hey guys, we're back! Over our 9 day holiday from working on Calderwood Cottage, we had time to look at our bank account and see how much money we've spent so far. "Big surprise" -- we're way over budget and way behind on our schedule. This is a special problem for us because our brother, Sid, is Continue Reading
April 6, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 2 (part 5)
Our goal is to get drywall up by the end of Round 2 with Calderwood Cottage. Now that we have plumbing, HVAC and electrical taken care of, so we can finally insulate. We are doing spray foam insulation. The ceilings are "closed cell" which is more expensive but the only way for us to take care of Continue Reading
April 4, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 2 (part 4)
October at Calderwood Cottage was 30 days of demo. During that time, we tore out the front porch enclosure. (Which stunk to high heaven!) We did not try to demo the brick steps at that time because we knew we'd be doing more brick work in round 2. Which is where we are now. Concrete Step Continue Reading
April 2, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 2 (part 3)
Today I'm showing the progress we've made on the back section of Calderwood Cottage. In part 2 I showed you all the digging we had to do in order to get the HVAC ductwork installed. Today I'm showing you what we've done in the back of the house.Back in October, when we fought Round 1 with this Continue Reading
March 28, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 2 (part 2)
Ok, so in part 1 of this saga, we were getting ready to have a new HVAC system installed. In order to make the air optimization engineer man happy with the placement of the return, we had to move the master bedroom doorway over and build a closet for the ductwork. Also, we had to dig a trench for Continue Reading
March 26, 2018
Calderwood Cottage – Round 2 (part 1)
Hey Guys! I finally had time to edit photos and write a few posts. Julie and I just spent another 3 1/2 weeks working on Calderwood Cottage! We were super enthusiastic to get started and had everything planned out and a strict schedule to maintain. (Because we want to finish this house in Julie's Continue Reading
February 21, 2018
Cabinet Hardware Jig – for Long Door Pulls
There are a lot of cabinet hardware jigs out there. I've used quite a few. Most of them work fine for standard 3" (maybe up to 4 or 5") pulls for door handles. And they leave a lot to be desired when drilling holes on wide surfaces, like drawer fronts. What if you have longer door pulls, like I did Continue Reading
February 19, 2018
Easy Lemon Drop Cookies
I had a hankering for cookies this weekend so I made Lemon Drop Cookies. Which is something because I hardly ever cook anymore. Wes has become our house chef ever since I (80% complete) remodeled the kitchen. Which I couldn't be happier about because I really don't enjoy cooking. I do like baking Continue Reading
February 16, 2018
Curved Pull-out Hamper Drawer
I showed you the pull out hamper in my linen cabinet but I saved the construction details for that drawer for a separate post. It's a little different from any of my other drawer tutorials because of the curved side detail. I built it with curved sides to transition from a taller front to shorter Continue Reading
February 12, 2018
Built-in Linen Cabinet
In addition to the mirrored pocket door, my latest completed project is the linen cabinet. WOOHOO!!! The carcass had been done for a while but I just got around to building the drawers and installing the doors that Cabinet Now sent me. Linen Cabinet Recap Looking back at all my video footage to Continue Reading
February 9, 2018
Mirrored Pocket Door – Jack and Jill Bathroom Update
I'm so excited to tell you that I've finished 2 (yes--TWO) projects this week! One is the mirrored pocket door that leads from Madison's bedroom to the Jack and Jill bathroom. I love pocket doors. They don't take up floor space and they don't ever smack an unsuspecting occupant standing on the Continue Reading
January 28, 2018
Getting out of a slump and a Calderwood Cottage update
Hey guys! I wanted to be unveiling the finished linen closet in the Jack and Jill bathroom but it's still not done. Argh. It feels like I've been trudging through knee deep molasses to make any forward progression. Part of my problem has been my chaotic workshop. It's been a mess since October Continue Reading
January 15, 2018
Recessed Wall Cabinet for Toilet Paper Storage
Hey hey hey! Guess who finished a project?! Whoop-whoop. I finally finished the recessed wall cabinet over the toilet in the Jack and Jill water closet! This between the studs wall cabinet is the perfect place for toilet paper storage. As well as other bathroom necessities. Of course I installed Continue Reading
December 21, 2017
2017 Christmas House Tour
A few weeks ago I agreed to join a Christmas House Tour with a group of my blogger friends. Several weeks can sometimes be enough time to knock out a serious amount of work. So I wasn't completely out of my mind for allowing myself to think that making this commitment would give me a firm deadline Continue Reading
December 8, 2017
Choosing Cabinet Door Hinges
There are a lot of factors in choosing the right cabinet door hinges. The type of cabinet and door being at the top of the list. Followed closely by the type, style, and function of the cabinet hinge. With as many options as there are available, there's surely a hinge that will work for every Continue Reading
December 4, 2017
Two Toned DIY Console Table
*This diy console table plan was edited to add instructions with illustrations of how to attach a tabletop using screws with washers and an extra large hole! I built this console table using easy pocket hole screw construction in just a few hours. Then used a combination of paint and stain to Continue Reading
December 3, 2017
How to Build a Cabinet Drawer the Easiest Way Possible
There are tons of different ways to build a cabinet drawer. You can get fancy with dovetails, box joints or locking rabbets. There are biscuits, loose tenons and pocket screws. In this tutorial, I'm going to show you how to build a cabinet drawer using the easiest possible method. You don't need Continue Reading
November 30, 2017
How to Skim Coat to Remove Wall Texture
Balancing time against money is always a factor when deciding whether to do something yourself or hire a professional. If you've been following my home remodels, you know I do a lot of skim coating. Smoothing wall texture can be a time consuming task. You can hire a professional to retexture walls Continue Reading
November 27, 2017
DIY Lighting Projects Anyone Can Make
Can you believe how expensive lights are? I'm always caught off guard by price tags that reach into the thousands! For a light! Especially when you can make a beautiful chandelier or pendant light for less than $25. Seriously. It's super easy to update old light fixtures with a DIY light. Check Continue Reading
November 27, 2017
DIY Serving Tray – Great ideas for Hostess Gifts
A DIY Serving tray is a perfect item to add your idea list for hostess gifts. You never want to arrive at a dinner party empty handed so make sure you plan ahead. Store bought gifts are nice but it makes your gift extra special when you make it yourself. How about a DIY serving tray paired with a Continue Reading
November 24, 2017
PORTER-CABLE Cordless Sander Review
Have you seen the new PORTER-CABLE cordless sander? This random orbit sander is another new member of the PORTER-CABLE 20V MAX* System. Available for $59.99 for tool only, battery and charger are not included. PORTER-CABLE Cordless Sander Review It is a cordless sander --but it has only one Continue Reading
November 20, 2017
Shoe Organization – Easy Shoe Storage Project
I feel like my back door entry has grown a shoe mountain with all of the boots and shoes we now need for the snow, rain, mud, and everything in between. I swear it takes an extra 5-10 minutes to get out the door in the mornings between playing the shoe pile scramble, and then navigating the Continue Reading
November 20, 2017
Calderwood Cottage – part 5
I've shown you all the work we've done on the inside of our Calderwood Cottage (parts 1, 2, 3, and 4). Today I'm showing you what's been happening on the back addition. This back addition is on a concrete slab. There are two rooms. We have no idea what the intended purpose was for the first Continue Reading