tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55616409614050002952024-02-18T23:15:38.578-07:00El Paso FoursquareOmarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-84707988494434090712011-12-23T11:53:00.002-07:002011-12-23T11:55:49.384-07:00pic of the day<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UIcMayT8nIcLlt45iJ_62KxR-EQVZKlPrAmS4a-vPpTtu6TLJWg1ddafKJWy66h5_dHhjY04mDmlesXvP3lcLbmKnpObFxeW4LlzFrBJwqUsKzIEAZEXXHu_4IWAGMUIezrF01uZ_k3b/s1600/ep_downtown.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UIcMayT8nIcLlt45iJ_62KxR-EQVZKlPrAmS4a-vPpTtu6TLJWg1ddafKJWy66h5_dHhjY04mDmlesXvP3lcLbmKnpObFxeW4LlzFrBJwqUsKzIEAZEXXHu_4IWAGMUIezrF01uZ_k3b/s200/ep_downtown.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5689399156335550498" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;">it's a snow day in EP.. :)</span></i></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-7716822342983594472011-12-01T23:18:00.004-07:002011-12-01T23:41:28.428-07:00window insulation upgrade pt2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng9fPWuVesCZnqq5N-ltZbqxOloogyoWquwnhUpZAObizz3PZ1gpTEtaXhq_RolcJ4-aBS1EJWXgHAJ16f1XSgyjob2SEq83rEWSeMWSO4WGle5TTOBIjcatJO98__geWHqs7ucgZyjMf/s1600/IMG_3674.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgng9fPWuVesCZnqq5N-ltZbqxOloogyoWquwnhUpZAObizz3PZ1gpTEtaXhq_RolcJ4-aBS1EJWXgHAJ16f1XSgyjob2SEq83rEWSeMWSO4WGle5TTOBIjcatJO98__geWHqs7ucgZyjMf/s200/IMG_3674.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681411911826199298" /></a>So from a previous post about my <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/11/window-insulation-upgrade-pt1.html">window insulation adventures</a>, the obvious question would be "are you satisfied with the performance"? Well, it's complicated. On the one hand, yes I've cut down the draftiness in these windows bigtime. By insulating the sash pockets, I no longer have to worry about cold air seeping through the sash chain opening. That's a relatively simple fix (and effective) -- I've begin upgrading other windows in the house starting with the office. The other part of the equation is the easy stop insulation.<div><br /></div><div>I do see how if your sashes are in great shape and have beefy wood all around the critical corner area where the upper and lower sash meet, the chunk of insulation that's <i>supposed</i> to stop drafts passing through that vulnerable area should work pretty well. Unfortunately in my case, the corner edge of my lower sashes have that edge routed off and are partially worn. I'm assuming that was original, which is fine but that inner corner is where I still feel a slight draft get through. The fact that the original parting beads were also just a smidge deeper that the replacements means the new bead rests a little further into the channel than they originally did. So how to fix this shortcoming?</div><div><br /></div><div>I plan to break out the epoxy and/or glue new strips of wood on these corners so they sit flush to the insulation on the new parting beads. I'm also considering pulling the beads back out and adding some 1/4" shims made out the old beads so they snug up nice and tight. I also wasn't quite happy with the weatherstrip that runs along the top rail of the lower sash. Maybe my sash aren't perfectly straight as the weatherstrip has a very short profile and you could still see a slight gap in some spots. To compensate I added an additional 1/8" rubber weatherstrip just above the easy stop strip. That works much better -- I don't plan to open and close these windows all the time so we shouldn't see too much wear and tear on the rubber stuff. Once I get around to fixing the present shortcomings, I'll report back if it made a meaningful difference..</div><div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NAOT90KVY9xvOtHPhW159ETJ2g6oPlbokwcjlADi_5czMmtObip_y1cfdO0du76Aj88O2XgtE6_2-dDzWdmmhBKZdx41aL1X7euWM4b54eEJ7JEodFKhEh7O0PbGnQPZ7pdIum7ynG99/s1600/IMG_3676.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NAOT90KVY9xvOtHPhW159ETJ2g6oPlbokwcjlADi_5czMmtObip_y1cfdO0du76Aj88O2XgtE6_2-dDzWdmmhBKZdx41aL1X7euWM4b54eEJ7JEodFKhEh7O0PbGnQPZ7pdIum7ynG99/s200/IMG_3676.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681411783823099362" /></a><br /></div></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-63575485822936163572011-11-18T21:48:00.002-07:002011-11-18T21:57:28.401-07:00don't you love fall?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnsnLZWS3gX6oemMs4ClAWL8nqrhVFGL6TBwJLVPEe5ngNpLV-SW3aGJZ8ydfwZss5x3gO3uy5xBtddpuQncGaDpYOplGIgbItNLdOOjTjjtwh1Nrzslj3J6ru3MTgBHB-n7eNLntC1lO/s1600/IMG_3658.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnsnLZWS3gX6oemMs4ClAWL8nqrhVFGL6TBwJLVPEe5ngNpLV-SW3aGJZ8ydfwZss5x3gO3uy5xBtddpuQncGaDpYOplGIgbItNLdOOjTjjtwh1Nrzslj3J6ru3MTgBHB-n7eNLntC1lO/s200/IMG_3658.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676564649719806434" /></a>Meet "oakie" my prized Shumard oak tree, living up to its Southern red oak lineage.. When I first bought this tree it looked like a two foot stick with a couple small branches. Every year it gets progressively bigger and <i>fluffier</i>. The fall colors keep getting more spectacular too. I can't imagine when this thing is 60+ feet tall, that'll be pretty sweet.Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-4261921717684982942011-11-11T22:00:00.003-07:002011-11-11T22:51:33.685-07:00window insulation upgrade pt1<div>Once upon a time I dreamed of improving the windows in my daughter's room. No better room in the house to improve first. I actually started <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/12/window-insulation.html">this project</a> about a year ago. To make these windows worthy of what I had in mind the window sash themselves would have to be completely restored. They were removed one by one and each got the royal treatment. Much scraping, reglazing, and repainting. With the sash ready to go, the window casing on the interior was also completely scraped/sanded down and primed (final paint is still on my to-do list).</div><div><br /></div><div>I've put a lot of research into how to make an old window perform like a new energy efficient window. One option would be to use storm windows -- not sure if this was ever really common in el paso, my home did not come with storms (to my knowledge). I've never seen another old home in the area with original storm windows. It can get cold here -- but I guess not cold enough. <i>Although last winter it dipping below zero for a few nights in a row was pretty darn cold.</i> I wasn't about to spring for storm windows though -- I was looking for solutions that were a little easier on the wallet and wouldn't involve much hassle come winter.</div><div><br /></div><div>A while back I read a few articles on This Old House about <a href="http://www.advancedrepair.com/weather_stripping/weather_stripping.htm">Easy Stop</a> weather stripping. I was convinced that I could have my beautiful vintage windows minus the drafts. I actually purchased a set for each of the three windows and had them on standby for nearly a year while I got the windows ready. <i>Yeah, yeah -- I like to take my time ok?</i> I'll show the goods on that next time.. Another good idea I had read about from a past issue of Old House Journal was insulating the sash pockets. I'd seen something similar on TOH using a rigid insulation that was thin enough to stuff into a sash pocket and yet have the weights operate normally. I think they called it a polystyrene foam? Unfortunately for me I could never find a similar product. That is until I stumbled on the Prodex website.</div><div><br /></div><div>After consulting with customer service, I found that the <a href="http://www.insulation4less.com/Insulation4lessProduct-19-Prodex-Total-16-inch.aspx">Prodex Total 16 inch insulation</a> would work for my application. The only downside is you kind of have to order in bulk, but if you use this across multiple windows you can make the numbers work. So after popping the casing off each window, you line the sash pocket with the insulation on all three sides (and top and bottom if you want).</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO_KrxCDRhFgles6l2MhQdSzcmqXADs-Xd87Nj245aRfDT19EG-jF5nBsN0qmA6n4_QrXYBhMg9mnygjo_bFKv_4UV_93vcBDcFTZ4UqLn4uj4SSSfBsc3YffK9RC6PTaWD-5KSK7d0Ec/s1600/IMG_3655.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggO_KrxCDRhFgles6l2MhQdSzcmqXADs-Xd87Nj245aRfDT19EG-jF5nBsN0qmA6n4_QrXYBhMg9mnygjo_bFKv_4UV_93vcBDcFTZ4UqLn4uj4SSSfBsc3YffK9RC6PTaWD-5KSK7d0Ec/s200/IMG_3655.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673972367444035538" /></a>I also replaced the aluminum window jamb liner (I think that's what you call them) with copper V strip. The old stuff worked ok, but the channel in the sash was too wide for the liner to keep tight. A big point for drafts to pass through. The new weather stripping should hold the sash tighter and provide a more solid barrier against the wind. Well that's the hope at least..<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKv76e_Qyqoti6VGR13ykwOINMff3HGGLgfx72DzROeo6TWaP8Bw4UfYSyemLXShC0rSpjgEGoinVtmYqJcCW4_aaVO12BxEm1DnIP5Fx3dnnmj7YDCSMtnxXv9Ynu5MpDzU36T9hajGq/s1600/IMG_3657.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKv76e_Qyqoti6VGR13ykwOINMff3HGGLgfx72DzROeo6TWaP8Bw4UfYSyemLXShC0rSpjgEGoinVtmYqJcCW4_aaVO12BxEm1DnIP5Fx3dnnmj7YDCSMtnxXv9Ynu5MpDzU36T9hajGq/s200/IMG_3657.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5673972256349335314" /></a><br /></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-63811844668081907102011-09-24T14:12:00.003-06:002011-09-24T14:20:47.846-06:00new roof<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGwjqrxVxEl5EuuvggdL611NYvKukpRrLhs28CoPbLi6UYjm_npuC99eLuXjc8KIoDDLOcGzn3bA4soLXVX15V1uETqaRcXoj_ewWHPdVSlgWU61mqsf-2evYnqyNW_Fhocc38ZF8w0b-/s1600/IMG_3582.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGwjqrxVxEl5EuuvggdL611NYvKukpRrLhs28CoPbLi6UYjm_npuC99eLuXjc8KIoDDLOcGzn3bA4soLXVX15V1uETqaRcXoj_ewWHPdVSlgWU61mqsf-2evYnqyNW_Fhocc38ZF8w0b-/s200/IMG_3582.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5656023203490731634" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">Who knew insurance companies don't like to insure homes with a pathetic excuse for a roof? Last month we had the rental house undergo a flurry of work to put on a new roof and I think it looks better than ever. We also had the chimney rebuilt as it was partially falling over. Next up is some landscape lovin'..</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-36476602358132672772011-09-10T09:13:00.004-06:002011-09-10T09:26:54.216-06:00I'm still here<div>Wow, it's been a while hasn't it? I'm still drowning in half-finished projects, but I managed to finally cross two off my to-do list. For some reason I only get my butt in gear when we're going to host a party or something, but I'm happy nonetheless. The desert garden is complete. Well the hard part anyway. The massive piles of rock screening are finally gone and I was able to finish landscaping the unfinished corner. I still have more planting to do, but that will wait for fall's cooler temperatures. This ups the enjoyment factor in the backyard bigtime. Ghetto factor comes down another notch.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NlbkHzMGQKwZiden6-kw80N7Wu1oA1nMTCxto94BK3c5W7gLOR6qSDf35b-giCspomas93GttcSmJrSz8UU2nlFYBDicom-J2JZLsMEd-2DUeZFb96TpyoBMmsU680D-SVznqCNW0ki9/s1600/IMG_3587.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NlbkHzMGQKwZiden6-kw80N7Wu1oA1nMTCxto94BK3c5W7gLOR6qSDf35b-giCspomas93GttcSmJrSz8UU2nlFYBDicom-J2JZLsMEd-2DUeZFb96TpyoBMmsU680D-SVznqCNW0ki9/s200/IMG_3587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650750285975856498" /></a>The contractor had added railing to the deck and replaced some warped pieces earlier this year. It had only gotten a partial finish treatment. I didn't buy enough stain/sealer at the time and so it looked so-so for most of the year. I finally built up the will to do some light sanding and a hose down prior to finishing the sealing. I think it looks pretty good too. Till next time! :)<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EaWoGAAS_vr-8fu2zISdm-TwidP-x0bu2Y4OdUlOUcSFOlmiCoAioFA0-MNp_7zCScBGcHWDuN3zpzWZkE5I-FQkr1K8uEHs5pXGbtQyDSFkp6xMkTSqYQl9rqonykMLIlwx6AZcS7Kb/s1600/IMG_3591.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1EaWoGAAS_vr-8fu2zISdm-TwidP-x0bu2Y4OdUlOUcSFOlmiCoAioFA0-MNp_7zCScBGcHWDuN3zpzWZkE5I-FQkr1K8uEHs5pXGbtQyDSFkp6xMkTSqYQl9rqonykMLIlwx6AZcS7Kb/s200/IMG_3591.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650749906551367346" /></a><br /><br /></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-67203608087469445572011-05-28T20:22:00.041-06:002011-05-28T22:00:02.983-06:00rental house before & after<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Finally, some before and after photos of our project (rental) house. It's been a couple of months from start to finish, but we've finally completed it. A while back I was concerned about taking on </span></span><a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-official-were-nuts.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">another project</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> like this, but it's grown on me. I really like this house and am proud of the work we've done.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A lot of the work was cosmetic, the biggest changes were to the kitchen and bath. The kitchen had ugly linoleum floors which we removed to refinish the original wood floors. Added some subway tile along the backsplash and repaired the original scored subway style plaster. The 60s kitchen cabinets were spruced up a bit. The bathroom was basically gutted, although the plumbing work had already been done (see hole in wall). I think the tilework and clawfoot tub add a nice touch. Next big project for this house is a new roof -- hopefully in a year or two.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Now time to get back to work on my house. This was a fun little diversion.. :)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Exterior</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Xf5IYh85Su8PhIY8mKD03JnTJJSsSyfHDSDbEKqfqKb8rAQOsjqb7PTbgIVMghkmREDTRHVrvUx2QXJBraSnivsb2UoQbe5EoXIrewcAGRwMnHbrkFF8FHB2IL6TffPDg6SE4TEADgq/s1600/front.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6Xf5IYh85Su8PhIY8mKD03JnTJJSsSyfHDSDbEKqfqKb8rAQOsjqb7PTbgIVMghkmREDTRHVrvUx2QXJBraSnivsb2UoQbe5EoXIrewcAGRwMnHbrkFF8FHB2IL6TffPDg6SE4TEADgq/s200/front.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611974213580087282" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEA7wo5YI-ejjBUVyxcyQW_kIdIs9niRFz4CleeP3rKnNb3Gow9kyskIugoGwO6DvW-KnuNIJtl_sNXW3xk9zOsvsNpOCBlSZ_0E8kh5QC9AcMbTyrDX_BbUyuoHc6Vih02kV1YSRrAMO/s1600/alley+angle+view.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEA7wo5YI-ejjBUVyxcyQW_kIdIs9niRFz4CleeP3rKnNb3Gow9kyskIugoGwO6DvW-KnuNIJtl_sNXW3xk9zOsvsNpOCBlSZ_0E8kh5QC9AcMbTyrDX_BbUyuoHc6Vih02kV1YSRrAMO/s200/alley+angle+view.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611974103002713602" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfPKRwv1jnnnLBRuX6PXPzUzT70I5SIdhIVfxEAjHDUclh6V-COdQ4o8zGaFTB7gZHIbySy75s7etFjZX0NQKlSbnMTD2t61hqxpO_ahLtUGzPmLSVy9jpALHqNbVERdBgNOcmA8BsY_4/s1600/front+door+porch+view.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfPKRwv1jnnnLBRuX6PXPzUzT70I5SIdhIVfxEAjHDUclh6V-COdQ4o8zGaFTB7gZHIbySy75s7etFjZX0NQKlSbnMTD2t61hqxpO_ahLtUGzPmLSVy9jpALHqNbVERdBgNOcmA8BsY_4/s200/front+door+porch+view.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973960674665906" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mdkFUIr9Me2U91eVhU9LayexmE_5f0sKHAdMOEOh5Us9ncswQ2DW-KlquzexEtyaZOeI22LlaPGHoq68ktnTiGUM18suqyiP-sN8aZC1C-RKhB9Zl-gahmLh0vNT6WQVwPdp8Rws_QJJ/s1600/porch+ceiling+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3mdkFUIr9Me2U91eVhU9LayexmE_5f0sKHAdMOEOh5Us9ncswQ2DW-KlquzexEtyaZOeI22LlaPGHoq68ktnTiGUM18suqyiP-sN8aZC1C-RKhB9Zl-gahmLh0vNT6WQVwPdp8Rws_QJJ/s200/porch+ceiling+detail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973832143980914" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRqCydidAjX6Jb01_XtKk7Xhvq8e-CcnEvu0eoJMq3bHG2GAeuXetgECoGu1bzogR0IXeXz0-VWtCnErsMBdtzv4BdRbP9JrEshVMFYkG2amlr7_pYG9feD-oxE8yP6L0LmiG2nitjtUL/s1600/IMG_3512.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxRqCydidAjX6Jb01_XtKk7Xhvq8e-CcnEvu0eoJMq3bHG2GAeuXetgECoGu1bzogR0IXeXz0-VWtCnErsMBdtzv4BdRbP9JrEshVMFYkG2amlr7_pYG9feD-oxE8yP6L0LmiG2nitjtUL/s200/IMG_3512.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973630533962434" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-li_hjYhnZia4b-Am0SnWtsCrWtwQ-aVv-vrIv0BKprlMtKaDzbIP_UCsoKem4c3xPyNfk92O_jgD6UIzOFQ3I34GNwzm83zwWvgB7lWCbqT-Rwub9hy4Vi5-icZD_RZQ4vVeIXXLgfk/s1600/IMG_3513.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR-li_hjYhnZia4b-Am0SnWtsCrWtwQ-aVv-vrIv0BKprlMtKaDzbIP_UCsoKem4c3xPyNfk92O_jgD6UIzOFQ3I34GNwzm83zwWvgB7lWCbqT-Rwub9hy4Vi5-icZD_RZQ4vVeIXXLgfk/s200/IMG_3513.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973393354472354" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oeTroPFuwRSjC8eCzYf1UmjK7jTRWwwmHUPPSASfIUV59HEKlvzkDyeiKG2xQcT_e3j_FzQR6LWIhF36RGH40a1SfUocNVh4xcuEmVtJHug_K7jBf6lJ2CH4rit4XhaCcVgdYWVKRfPa/s1600/IMG_3514.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3oeTroPFuwRSjC8eCzYf1UmjK7jTRWwwmHUPPSASfIUV59HEKlvzkDyeiKG2xQcT_e3j_FzQR6LWIhF36RGH40a1SfUocNVh4xcuEmVtJHug_K7jBf6lJ2CH4rit4XhaCcVgdYWVKRfPa/s200/IMG_3514.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973211752202386" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1K9VdczYl6gKybbbkdFRcuwSoXPUE2yFqgKMxPmy-y8A819i8NbgFQU1HH-jShP2mP2dSWcI2kleU2DVbgeQtWz1KbuXmkqiMhPOybl_sbDFSNmlYsRv7WUYUkeL8uwpvvevvq9ExQl-/s1600/IMG_3516.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1K9VdczYl6gKybbbkdFRcuwSoXPUE2yFqgKMxPmy-y8A819i8NbgFQU1HH-jShP2mP2dSWcI2kleU2DVbgeQtWz1KbuXmkqiMhPOybl_sbDFSNmlYsRv7WUYUkeL8uwpvvevvq9ExQl-/s200/IMG_3516.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611973059907128642" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Living Room</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvboog-sqQhHT1K6d19ARtxhuwHLnJyRLptXlo31ZQCKtuTdBGBJ0Dut-pilVDclIrajfIfll60w_z8wMS6e6rIgAgiMA2zzwkPR-F3hfEbZayavBRfWDeQgjxd1NRSP4JCyE6PA_NEws3/s1600/living+builtins.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvboog-sqQhHT1K6d19ARtxhuwHLnJyRLptXlo31ZQCKtuTdBGBJ0Dut-pilVDclIrajfIfll60w_z8wMS6e6rIgAgiMA2zzwkPR-F3hfEbZayavBRfWDeQgjxd1NRSP4JCyE6PA_NEws3/s200/living+builtins.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611972602385801298" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRodx9aWLl1xlbr_ODMOLkxhNpU0pyuCBijKpqnoM7YSTBCeStjg9B7jutTpgfJDy75HDQgvwR9YB7rAMt3m2kjdGPVS3uY_JiUxKRcm7u6YzISZl2WjhP4nYKnRvyQ3VuAFQyg1zZkw2/s1600/firplace+wallpaper.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfRodx9aWLl1xlbr_ODMOLkxhNpU0pyuCBijKpqnoM7YSTBCeStjg9B7jutTpgfJDy75HDQgvwR9YB7rAMt3m2kjdGPVS3uY_JiUxKRcm7u6YzISZl2WjhP4nYKnRvyQ3VuAFQyg1zZkw2/s200/firplace+wallpaper.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611972486781930482" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRhj6zOHLrZ2s0kytqSxaszKXPRETezYnnlHqUeo8zjZ7LZqViHDA-5Qtz_XpFMKqRgvbiED9lvCo_xuBBqpZ_VzsZQwL3S_nPM5vt5S1x5lIqiTmKcC1N_yqxc-wHCPSORys8zTsTiK5/s1600/IMG_3521.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRhj6zOHLrZ2s0kytqSxaszKXPRETezYnnlHqUeo8zjZ7LZqViHDA-5Qtz_XpFMKqRgvbiED9lvCo_xuBBqpZ_VzsZQwL3S_nPM5vt5S1x5lIqiTmKcC1N_yqxc-wHCPSORys8zTsTiK5/s200/IMG_3521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611972386109663042" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPvqYbYSqydkh1qw7JNna0ea1YZwjwC6vYT7Zf_q4Q6i2Uf0OnTNenQL3hmwFC-4Oxg5oI51uBNNQy9yFb0mfGLj-4DafUtKILO9QafqJCsxv7lqH6_GL2hKhPaZhOuVW0XUzhzC4XDCu/s1600/IMG_3518.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmPvqYbYSqydkh1qw7JNna0ea1YZwjwC6vYT7Zf_q4Q6i2Uf0OnTNenQL3hmwFC-4Oxg5oI51uBNNQy9yFb0mfGLj-4DafUtKILO9QafqJCsxv7lqH6_GL2hKhPaZhOuVW0XUzhzC4XDCu/s200/IMG_3518.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611972291843933826" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2pOgXUvod6iPQilBD27QbWmjLzWBqrPgCvM_dGUwOJW5sHS9RTNFy13AmUG5pLKqVkINOoJm0eGgj1KL_fhNxKJ0XMY9ZIXS5GghoXx_OHz3iaco3N5Eg2M3JPU6czfp9gs850EIe8PP/s1600/IMG_3519.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw2pOgXUvod6iPQilBD27QbWmjLzWBqrPgCvM_dGUwOJW5sHS9RTNFy13AmUG5pLKqVkINOoJm0eGgj1KL_fhNxKJ0XMY9ZIXS5GghoXx_OHz3iaco3N5Eg2M3JPU6czfp9gs850EIe8PP/s200/IMG_3519.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611972205503792402" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Dining Room</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI3IRq5C4h2CMMkpe0itnpiDIeI7GQqUxqm6L-spe29VgI-mZuXJEbCIfGwLFvj2bi7DFbWytpcyIRwnYTwNsxunh8aIXd3bV0jPHJpw-cSamrF7d4VXGCYSDfWAC-S_zosBf0hsEvU9h/s1600/dining+room.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI3IRq5C4h2CMMkpe0itnpiDIeI7GQqUxqm6L-spe29VgI-mZuXJEbCIfGwLFvj2bi7DFbWytpcyIRwnYTwNsxunh8aIXd3bV0jPHJpw-cSamrF7d4VXGCYSDfWAC-S_zosBf0hsEvU9h/s200/dining+room.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611967538123225218" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEfNb-WPJALWIXGo-Ns278aUEbnsa0Hg0B_WBLy9MF3AVpWL59TftXWQc2zcprx2LlqZwoOKkLzh1k9055FRCmHOg1RpHHHXmyVqMtrrYff76ni4k82WQRT75NuXHcUVXn9aD7ulrb3B9/s1600/floors+dining+window.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilEfNb-WPJALWIXGo-Ns278aUEbnsa0Hg0B_WBLy9MF3AVpWL59TftXWQc2zcprx2LlqZwoOKkLzh1k9055FRCmHOg1RpHHHXmyVqMtrrYff76ni4k82WQRT75NuXHcUVXn9aD7ulrb3B9/s200/floors+dining+window.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611967422375559922" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NGId9fDlLwCdJM7LiAV3ld4u7m_C-hC_MgjNbEUR6NUQLp-IM2SY77cIPXLL9u9E6Kk5fnxiy3pTkZ2-NlqWuuJ0ps_lfHOGOvyl_SH0C7HXSpWPWIIOYa-SROD063MpfQVTWEK7W0fe/s1600/IMG_3523.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7NGId9fDlLwCdJM7LiAV3ld4u7m_C-hC_MgjNbEUR6NUQLp-IM2SY77cIPXLL9u9E6Kk5fnxiy3pTkZ2-NlqWuuJ0ps_lfHOGOvyl_SH0C7HXSpWPWIIOYa-SROD063MpfQVTWEK7W0fe/s200/IMG_3523.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611967301193369826" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6-rRN7EPLtBTv-B8PB8sS97PoAhKGqV-r0PpapzPdwWD1qc2JgSWWupkNotyj04UzDVVr4qCmGEaF_m0LbJoRWGB6KneM-GzKVAOBgCJX-TDl8zZuD4TmsfyXgbMgg1hoBJV2zcvfHim/s1600/IMG_3460.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6-rRN7EPLtBTv-B8PB8sS97PoAhKGqV-r0PpapzPdwWD1qc2JgSWWupkNotyj04UzDVVr4qCmGEaF_m0LbJoRWGB6KneM-GzKVAOBgCJX-TDl8zZuD4TmsfyXgbMgg1hoBJV2zcvfHim/s200/IMG_3460.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611967193072490194" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Kitchen</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8eNGS5bNbHOGSIQQNRjW2WbKDhJU6HKEukr5b5GNUJgyMdRhhc2sz5ZNJ1UZju5OQN5DqBsROOnWLj9VHkDPwUg-XPuvjPX6zNyBptsOKiNTM-7NF_QCXxgYkcUxyd7ZLLhSm-L46okB/s1600/metal+cabinets.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8eNGS5bNbHOGSIQQNRjW2WbKDhJU6HKEukr5b5GNUJgyMdRhhc2sz5ZNJ1UZju5OQN5DqBsROOnWLj9VHkDPwUg-XPuvjPX6zNyBptsOKiNTM-7NF_QCXxgYkcUxyd7ZLLhSm-L46okB/s200/metal+cabinets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611965850712522338" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0G8lvc7tG2UylvLfnS6KGW0MAvt8jTAG6KtzNUA7meVr15b88InqRy_aoppbVVpEevaj_pydJGmCdcFyJpN0pMS03xqiTAvadabNcy9JpXB88yyADw8b13GaeaxTFnL0O50tstgO57DO/s1600/kitchen+builtin.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0G8lvc7tG2UylvLfnS6KGW0MAvt8jTAG6KtzNUA7meVr15b88InqRy_aoppbVVpEevaj_pydJGmCdcFyJpN0pMS03xqiTAvadabNcy9JpXB88yyADw8b13GaeaxTFnL0O50tstgO57DO/s200/kitchen+builtin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611965721874273618" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-u7RTyPL4RG5TATfeKOtAU9tXBq4Gyxg5jPtmuUDerBAUTyLAtUd8dY7xzJlSbN5P1cELqx2Lfeb4e2PYeDOFn97VJr4hp4-j8qMMzloK4a_xVisTqqYd9FBGk4jDJYWtwJoB0ZE0-AK/s1600/IMG_3524.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-u7RTyPL4RG5TATfeKOtAU9tXBq4Gyxg5jPtmuUDerBAUTyLAtUd8dY7xzJlSbN5P1cELqx2Lfeb4e2PYeDOFn97VJr4hp4-j8qMMzloK4a_xVisTqqYd9FBGk4jDJYWtwJoB0ZE0-AK/s200/IMG_3524.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611965591379861218" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbNcbYeH58kAWAdFVDfdwGPv5DY6nCpcEc_mvyQeHxSrFdU9ViPG034sS_D7M4F3TPWdDerhe3yG-Q5sNQASlx05pJQBhvH5ozvRv-iQtqAkEAU0Zl3d_oGl10BcksQDhDJEpm10h823Q/s1600/IMG_3525.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbNcbYeH58kAWAdFVDfdwGPv5DY6nCpcEc_mvyQeHxSrFdU9ViPG034sS_D7M4F3TPWdDerhe3yG-Q5sNQASlx05pJQBhvH5ozvRv-iQtqAkEAU0Zl3d_oGl10BcksQDhDJEpm10h823Q/s200/IMG_3525.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611965477108849106" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bedroom1</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbwVsJrOS7hgXMmTll1RvskWkL5Z0-vVjZV5Yyn3Yv1L1Ama48oITEQhboBRqaKvbCuztqHEnZ9Tj9t8iCQVyHvWAGHLMxeccTE3_V2vzkN6Sum4MHQaHX8C0c89huT2Tjb_rz7weKoId/s1600/IMG_2623.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcbwVsJrOS7hgXMmTll1RvskWkL5Z0-vVjZV5Yyn3Yv1L1Ama48oITEQhboBRqaKvbCuztqHEnZ9Tj9t8iCQVyHvWAGHLMxeccTE3_V2vzkN6Sum4MHQaHX8C0c89huT2Tjb_rz7weKoId/s200/IMG_2623.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611964868679491858" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxZAWuUXUwXWz2nWOipUwPyHkWphGN7LnqzkhfpX2sEV00iPXWYSxJeNXcnQITIlhglDinTS9RmsaC5qdMjpMHVpZq_nliMXv9tuGgfffcF3kLG5HFEcFbPLoHy8HtBtiQpt5v7B3BQIB/s1600/IMG_2624.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxZAWuUXUwXWz2nWOipUwPyHkWphGN7LnqzkhfpX2sEV00iPXWYSxJeNXcnQITIlhglDinTS9RmsaC5qdMjpMHVpZq_nliMXv9tuGgfffcF3kLG5HFEcFbPLoHy8HtBtiQpt5v7B3BQIB/s200/IMG_2624.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611964734643272178" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbYKdWhyjtS3bvWwWxx6HCYSSQy93wxwWGwVclZEFh_QLZ-6G9Qh8uNhq7wQ14ZvRGg3fPOaEA4s-60uErXWBBDFchC5NJNHnHbctNllNVPnUznQUZfjU7Ne8cOM5B0_hT6UM8TJqwIBj/s1600/IMG_3537.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPbYKdWhyjtS3bvWwWxx6HCYSSQy93wxwWGwVclZEFh_QLZ-6G9Qh8uNhq7wQ14ZvRGg3fPOaEA4s-60uErXWBBDFchC5NJNHnHbctNllNVPnUznQUZfjU7Ne8cOM5B0_hT6UM8TJqwIBj/s200/IMG_3537.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611964649363362018" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzzUN2AaNP_ltlbQZ2Ha-9q6e42ChB6lYJpEg_UnC5om4bYctOjXS64-iWTz7J3f1jUgYDnA6Xecho23KGFTedFgA0PwGr6O8mpDrApRfAalxX3AD6dMR9jMwLI2WFf2eEixrq0qj1jgI/s1600/IMG_3538.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjzzUN2AaNP_ltlbQZ2Ha-9q6e42ChB6lYJpEg_UnC5om4bYctOjXS64-iWTz7J3f1jUgYDnA6Xecho23KGFTedFgA0PwGr6O8mpDrApRfAalxX3AD6dMR9jMwLI2WFf2eEixrq0qj1jgI/s200/IMG_3538.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611964554344098050" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bedroom2</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUINqQSij8w2qvJUIACP9qpGifCzZ6QCi72UfEo1xG1aEsnmUwFxAh1FjiLxn8svkh-4XzQhiFUZZJy6p2Z3x7_LsJX8AXO9vcSFvvptjN_3X-JcEgyttEOyq8jI17p-ectxaVcUJ7vBMi/s1600/IMG_2625.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUINqQSij8w2qvJUIACP9qpGifCzZ6QCi72UfEo1xG1aEsnmUwFxAh1FjiLxn8svkh-4XzQhiFUZZJy6p2Z3x7_LsJX8AXO9vcSFvvptjN_3X-JcEgyttEOyq8jI17p-ectxaVcUJ7vBMi/s200/IMG_2625.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611963899448569298" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSMFt43ivpoiZ8OqTW9j3ICnwBkIakcIWHlDffmi1mMYFgKqB_VgfbIG0y3aOei1pQng8Nncf2Zzxlasd_hiedXPeRPQPYvw3uFhEBA60bfx8bCYGePztmgrq4oNNiASI6kD3znKRIZ6K/s1600/IMG_2626.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSMFt43ivpoiZ8OqTW9j3ICnwBkIakcIWHlDffmi1mMYFgKqB_VgfbIG0y3aOei1pQng8Nncf2Zzxlasd_hiedXPeRPQPYvw3uFhEBA60bfx8bCYGePztmgrq4oNNiASI6kD3znKRIZ6K/s200/IMG_2626.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611963552457035506" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4n19H92Ei9DKPT0Y21TBRBA9LRra-5HGC7jH95KfsiV46bBhx5GCM9u7b7eGqRxgPoDVXVRh79uTDmlOQz131BmeoqgNw6EXHrbnMMEl6v9B_XUryt07k0taux_UpwLmRAw82VWcG7Sk/s1600/IMG_3529.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4n19H92Ei9DKPT0Y21TBRBA9LRra-5HGC7jH95KfsiV46bBhx5GCM9u7b7eGqRxgPoDVXVRh79uTDmlOQz131BmeoqgNw6EXHrbnMMEl6v9B_XUryt07k0taux_UpwLmRAw82VWcG7Sk/s200/IMG_3529.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611960774945397906" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqfKv3Rlc9BZ5Dw6Dmc__M5jIJSU48WrG_ws8lx-My811749hqTosYoRZGz9-gZLuNphgTmlPGQnWIzf4CqiG6fWuTzVlurk3szzmnAa5aRtdGj3b6ZdngD0_vXolA8oan5Isa5n1TUJY/s1600/IMG_3530.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqfKv3Rlc9BZ5Dw6Dmc__M5jIJSU48WrG_ws8lx-My811749hqTosYoRZGz9-gZLuNphgTmlPGQnWIzf4CqiG6fWuTzVlurk3szzmnAa5aRtdGj3b6ZdngD0_vXolA8oan5Isa5n1TUJY/s200/IMG_3530.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611960651609186402" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#333399;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Bathroom</span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Before:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6Qg_3PvEX1xl6Gx8t4QJywIyNRxe2XGMXlb7pLtvXk53YPnY8oUsGOIowwGZ1PdbmFLRGJC_LFlS9ky2Rqas1V2oHK66uAMJU9Sa883Fysl1FgzcEINzyNZQjw_SQTAf92VMFCdqbo5_/s1600/IMG_2619.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY6Qg_3PvEX1xl6Gx8t4QJywIyNRxe2XGMXlb7pLtvXk53YPnY8oUsGOIowwGZ1PdbmFLRGJC_LFlS9ky2Rqas1V2oHK66uAMJU9Sa883Fysl1FgzcEINzyNZQjw_SQTAf92VMFCdqbo5_/s200/IMG_2619.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611959643354665666" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfOXwuceUereSySPWStX8Twtlge5rBiFA2mzSqUaQdP69TXcAPYo7l9WZ6JnirsnM-75d18tw0OO_45PntIx2fD8UaEJjOwmOzX4303VF7Edc3tAREeZ0dvrcVmCIBOmMxlyevTQT34T-/s1600/IMG_2620.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfOXwuceUereSySPWStX8Twtlge5rBiFA2mzSqUaQdP69TXcAPYo7l9WZ6JnirsnM-75d18tw0OO_45PntIx2fD8UaEJjOwmOzX4303VF7Edc3tAREeZ0dvrcVmCIBOmMxlyevTQT34T-/s200/IMG_2620.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611959537131001554" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8Sy0cMTtQw4Rg6Lk54tW5ybaGpc708jrxLqNdiFq-5ojJEX7hyrAZntv17THX6e10luLkf8io_6Llvh2YEc2bY8myPQeYdi9jVct4MFAph6UutPNldV-qJEyr9ZFjfLwavFqs6qMRVhy/s1600/IMG_2621.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8Sy0cMTtQw4Rg6Lk54tW5ybaGpc708jrxLqNdiFq-5ojJEX7hyrAZntv17THX6e10luLkf8io_6Llvh2YEc2bY8myPQeYdi9jVct4MFAph6UutPNldV-qJEyr9ZFjfLwavFqs6qMRVhy/s200/IMG_2621.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611959417971668722" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">After:</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ji1pqML5yYXwYzB6kIar_W_oEyrklj7Nab5IlSjUGm1gI62G3nU3e67l4plYHDTVwYCKGHVv6XGA4zdcginXTsqbO8XczhWWyy7fMz-MwJCHE13Y1KO3qazoun8Kv5dezrTsOF6Vp5DY/s1600/IMG_3532.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ji1pqML5yYXwYzB6kIar_W_oEyrklj7Nab5IlSjUGm1gI62G3nU3e67l4plYHDTVwYCKGHVv6XGA4zdcginXTsqbO8XczhWWyy7fMz-MwJCHE13Y1KO3qazoun8Kv5dezrTsOF6Vp5DY/s200/IMG_3532.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611958912321809042" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpHB4kJEkTsjz3YUTFPXCgqxVU810ZiG_8oUUE_NtBdM9prjo05Pr6ekroZbLQAmYOfkJp6wmFWCwVg_Cv53se-kbw_ZOV7GuTpjX3REtM2HOQWGJnuiRDGuRHdUTH56E5iuva_IMHQe8/s1600/IMG_3534.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqpHB4kJEkTsjz3YUTFPXCgqxVU810ZiG_8oUUE_NtBdM9prjo05Pr6ekroZbLQAmYOfkJp6wmFWCwVg_Cv53se-kbw_ZOV7GuTpjX3REtM2HOQWGJnuiRDGuRHdUTH56E5iuva_IMHQe8/s200/IMG_3534.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5611958740922179810" /></a>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-65641788861894954402011-05-25T22:29:00.003-06:002011-05-25T22:44:43.936-06:00another one bites the dust<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV2BIptPjbdWpvScytmaqbpVOwfkCYo7a2LqBIi1iHxMHZSZUauvpAPbjEJxs6UjUKxd1LDJpKbRcSvnzr7dYobFZL5FUTi6wtWELke6jwQv6UzM3IDTcZBpbNc-bdwrx4B1O5p_vDM_h/s1600/20110518_fire_main_vm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGV2BIptPjbdWpvScytmaqbpVOwfkCYo7a2LqBIi1iHxMHZSZUauvpAPbjEJxs6UjUKxd1LDJpKbRcSvnzr7dYobFZL5FUTi6wtWELke6jwQv6UzM3IDTcZBpbNc-bdwrx4B1O5p_vDM_h/s200/20110518_fire_main_vm.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610877611138445122" /></a>A while back I daydreamed about expanding the historic district my house sits in to help protect old buildings like <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2009/06/expanding-district.html">these</a>. These buildings lie just outside the district lines and while most are in decent condition (despite 90% having already met their demise), there are a few that could use a lot of love. The building above was one of those (it's the last one in link above). Sadly we'll never know if this building ever could have made a comeback. The rumor was it was burned down by transients the other night. The next day the city had the remains demolished for safety reasons. I don't understand some property owners. You do nothing in terms of building maintenance and watch your property slowly waste away. You're too lazy to tear it down so you wait a few decades, count on the eventual fire, and then get the city to tear it down for you.<div><br /></div><div>Priceless.</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-17811871765027520202011-05-13T21:25:00.048-06:002011-05-14T11:55:04.704-06:003rd Annual Bungalow Blog Tour<div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Where to begin? The past five and a half years have been an experience I don't think I'll soon forget. Back in january 2006 we finally closed on an American Foursquare house in the Sunset Heights neighborhood of El Paso, TX. We were young and naive, but knew we loved old houses. We had recently moved from Chicago, IL and had grand visions of the potential in this house. Little did we know the amount of work we'd be in for. Improvements started off slowly but we gradually upped the ante for each project we completed. Progress would eventually freeze as we took a year hiatus to focus on raising our first child. For better or worse, it didn't take long for the house to beckon me to continue where I'd left off. This is our story.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The house is a fairly modest brick foursquare built in 1914 (<a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/02/mystery-of-1912.html">maybe 1912</a>) for Joseph H. McBroom, a city attorney. We recently completed the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/02/exterior-paint-is-done.html">exterior paint</a> and tweaked the front porch. Painting exterior windows was something I've been working on for a few years. The house has obvious leanings to the Arts & Crafts style in the interior. Lots of thick, chunky molding and straight lines. The formal rooms are what drew us to this place -- the living room fireplace flanked by leaded glass built ins, the coffered ceilings, and the dining room pseudo-wainscoting.</span></span></p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9jT6LH6Q64VTejIi62urMrszQi5_ExMB9OSxzQP0sSR93ZxyeJz7_DR8nsKU9E4CKVNl1IUhuBWtCH3IsV9-1NE_pEemAe1UNKzWChMzNrZnrzLN-wAwljJVdxsvbDAzBskH6NVWrcqZ/s1600/IMG_3201.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9jT6LH6Q64VTejIi62urMrszQi5_ExMB9OSxzQP0sSR93ZxyeJz7_DR8nsKU9E4CKVNl1IUhuBWtCH3IsV9-1NE_pEemAe1UNKzWChMzNrZnrzLN-wAwljJVdxsvbDAzBskH6NVWrcqZ/s200/IMG_3201.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458824744326450" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWay6EpPMx89pyH1kiug71IMuIedWiuTpjJO08zJ9k3ZDcOqH6Q-TjZvpjNVWLKQD73RdhM-Rbuww1S7jaCWKbF9r_4cv3CAya0-CHiclW3RUYsxSaOnzkNrpZQbOtjREXxssb3xYZzC-Z/s1600/IMG_1133.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWay6EpPMx89pyH1kiug71IMuIedWiuTpjJO08zJ9k3ZDcOqH6Q-TjZvpjNVWLKQD73RdhM-Rbuww1S7jaCWKbF9r_4cv3CAya0-CHiclW3RUYsxSaOnzkNrpZQbOtjREXxssb3xYZzC-Z/s200/IMG_1133.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458722869697634" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-oWUfO6Hv0onl5kaIu9dqtIjUK8ImvnobJn4Gwwx_FPgpBSBcNxM-CL6Fth7rShQ1b3yPeTyPZFyIYnx-AHPJT5ffe-ZcIMmxbuC_-ZfnxAVcDBrkjUqsFBPE1F62Xnis05od88tWIH2/s1600/IMG_3002.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-oWUfO6Hv0onl5kaIu9dqtIjUK8ImvnobJn4Gwwx_FPgpBSBcNxM-CL6Fth7rShQ1b3yPeTyPZFyIYnx-AHPJT5ffe-ZcIMmxbuC_-ZfnxAVcDBrkjUqsFBPE1F62Xnis05od88tWIH2/s200/IMG_3002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458629785975106" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Since I can't just work on one thing at a time, I have several projects to burn time and money on. Probably one of the most time consuming has been the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/01/window-restoration-misc-thoughts.html">restoration of the windows</a>. I've been blessed in that all the original windows were all still there, but it has taken much time and patience to scrape these down, repair, and paint them. Actually this is something my recent exterior paint-fest didn't fully address. There are a few windows that are only superficially painted to allow me to remove and repair them with ease. Currently working on the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/05/nursery-windows-or-die.html">windows</a> in my daughter's room.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisugtH7hsUHXpnJyLPa2IoFjVyki842UrQvwyhK2DPa3FcrKNbXqJnQksi8LM48zbF6S1R5Xf1KKgc-5AZ5ax8gv7vs4AxAbo6tZuxixkSwv9rRzjHRUW-hEXfvqI6O_Dc9oHENLaqEeyV/s1600/IMG_2127.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisugtH7hsUHXpnJyLPa2IoFjVyki842UrQvwyhK2DPa3FcrKNbXqJnQksi8LM48zbF6S1R5Xf1KKgc-5AZ5ax8gv7vs4AxAbo6tZuxixkSwv9rRzjHRUW-hEXfvqI6O_Dc9oHENLaqEeyV/s200/IMG_2127.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458505806718354" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I know when I first told my wife about my plans for the parkway, she thought I was crazy. "Leave well enough alone -- can't you just finish the projects you're already working on? Yes dear." Since I'm a glutton for punishment, I decided to slowly remove the tan landscaping rock (and donate it to a neighbor). In it's place I added compacted rock screening (curse you screening!) from my backyard to act as a base for the brick pavers I had planned. Who doesn't like brick lined streets? I know I do. There's just something so cool about it I think. A big plus is the school across the street already has a similar paver lined with trees in the parkway. Helps complete the effect I think. Add a meaty <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/09/happy-tree-happy-world.html">shumard oak tree</a> to the mix and you have the potential for landscaping glory. I got the big side of the parkway complete (well mostly), so the other side shouldn't be too big a deal. I already have the landscaping fabric topped with compacted rock screening. When I have time, I need to pick up where I left off.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmagsE0aTHvgpu06diW1HUjZSsr6fwv-fVJmAbpmHXAqap4RWFIpqUZcAJSgZnZ7yfGvvwvnhsR6_wf6Qc3bFd0PCB-wZPVF7JCMDWy-6pSnxw2Q_JOfKr_IVYgnhfDHS5Imwwv8iGOYyE/s1600/IMG_3452.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmagsE0aTHvgpu06diW1HUjZSsr6fwv-fVJmAbpmHXAqap4RWFIpqUZcAJSgZnZ7yfGvvwvnhsR6_wf6Qc3bFd0PCB-wZPVF7JCMDWy-6pSnxw2Q_JOfKr_IVYgnhfDHS5Imwwv8iGOYyE/s200/IMG_3452.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458410916645570" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Partially out of guilt for indulging in grass and non-native trees, I have dedicated a corner of my yard for native plantings only. Actually the truth is I really do love the look and smell of the chihuahuan desert. And so the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/03/landscape-dreaming.html">desert garden</a> was born. I've been gradually removing rock screening and carving out planting beds. I then lay down landscaping fabric over the beds and sift all the dirt out of my rock screening so as to minimize weeds taking hold in the new beds. Several varieties of native plants have begun taking hold including creosote, sage, yucca, and desert willow. I've had a few bite the dust over the time I've been working on the desert garden (note to self, yucca don't like fertilizer), but the ones that have taken hold are quite healthy and happy. This project is currently on hold as I need to get the remaining screening piles hauled away to continue building the gravel path and remaining planting bed.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUV_Q-Slr-DuBeHV4-glkGvVh543zGIv1M9TFZ1B_6WysHsuohubfNj8MvyV1qoKWS7zwQgMX-vzlrNagNOFXFQIb3nfqwXXkNOOqOocwrq18No-qaFssXz_MLYYhZ3drG4nEI9sGdn17/s1600/IMG_3457.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUV_Q-Slr-DuBeHV4-glkGvVh543zGIv1M9TFZ1B_6WysHsuohubfNj8MvyV1qoKWS7zwQgMX-vzlrNagNOFXFQIb3nfqwXXkNOOqOocwrq18No-qaFssXz_MLYYhZ3drG4nEI9sGdn17/s200/IMG_3457.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458290447405186" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I recently had a <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-top-hat.html">new roof</a> installed -- the roofers kindly destroyed this flower bed, which I've since resurrected. Not done yet, but looks a million times better.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOp4zcmH8ANxjfkfEe72Fq9Hh_0KGQTgCS1UvDhH7TSBFiTmuO2iEXifqbP3FL-Vcuq89xDoFI_CmqRnxQnMByokgvBOoZjbr68eRYQELMEAwR_DVTPub9mwaqxEb-nVm0udMLEsCbV3H9/s1600/IMG_3458.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOp4zcmH8ANxjfkfEe72Fq9Hh_0KGQTgCS1UvDhH7TSBFiTmuO2iEXifqbP3FL-Vcuq89xDoFI_CmqRnxQnMByokgvBOoZjbr68eRYQELMEAwR_DVTPub9mwaqxEb-nVm0udMLEsCbV3H9/s200/IMG_3458.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458159977497858" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Of all my little projects this is one of my favorites. I get satisfaction in bringing the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/09/dining-room-restoration-it-begins.html">dining room</a> back to what it must have looked like 100 years ago. It wasn't too bad to begin with -- all the wood in this room had never been painted. It had been screwed with though. There was some <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/05/dining-room-window-repair.html">serious wear</a>, particularly around the windows. I've restored all the wood trim on the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/11/dining-room-windows-saga-continues.html">far wall</a> and my plans are to fix the row of windows on the side wall. First I need to finish sanding down the wood on the ceiling. I'm about 2/3 of the way though. One other little detail I finally got around to was installing wainscot style trim under the side windows -- this had been removed at some point and I had to get the local lumber mill to cut these down to the proper thickness. Oh, I also installed an <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/08/new-hotness.html">Auer heat register</a> I had spent nearly five years searching for (thanks ebay).</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZG5D0a4zeR87gIUNVle58uUfxbMs0ip4GbANezClLXh916aSljWSxM5PmehqxycMrPoEjpbNfEP8bhf5yXYy6Rk90no_nJ09zj7tf8B72IHEXdOgYvtv9D7lgPq7PgHm6VqiNOeg8usf/s1600/IMG_3454.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCZG5D0a4zeR87gIUNVle58uUfxbMs0ip4GbANezClLXh916aSljWSxM5PmehqxycMrPoEjpbNfEP8bhf5yXYy6Rk90no_nJ09zj7tf8B72IHEXdOgYvtv9D7lgPq7PgHm6VqiNOeg8usf/s200/IMG_3454.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606458024041004130" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3GUw1NXm8nVdLieGVY3MzC2ouMzy3uRxuITUJ9yOAnQ8zeKKuucwWYdWrYJzV3sXG5v4coXectLfKTvWXc2wm9_XmArdNd1iDWrs7tGHnXyHTBZbr0zs2rRgvjG08dqpFQtfN8oNZUzZ/s1600/IMG_3186.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3GUw1NXm8nVdLieGVY3MzC2ouMzy3uRxuITUJ9yOAnQ8zeKKuucwWYdWrYJzV3sXG5v4coXectLfKTvWXc2wm9_XmArdNd1iDWrs7tGHnXyHTBZbr0zs2rRgvjG08dqpFQtfN8oNZUzZ/s200/IMG_3186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457890644084482" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna54xc5x6GMX-Ts72bCmdZLtrbac6LuvwDKY0d9xI33l1WuTn_-qFf2iy8uOYfwWnEXY7beNbgBwYSTXbX_4_pMekA-x7TYN1kTx_QeMPeLrQqSpEpo1nff3LVRZvmNs4PLhGx6xArH4S/s1600/IMG_2752.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhna54xc5x6GMX-Ts72bCmdZLtrbac6LuvwDKY0d9xI33l1WuTn_-qFf2iy8uOYfwWnEXY7beNbgBwYSTXbX_4_pMekA-x7TYN1kTx_QeMPeLrQqSpEpo1nff3LVRZvmNs4PLhGx6xArH4S/s200/IMG_2752.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457796202652146" /></a><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">And last but not least, the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/03/its-official-were-nuts.html">project house</a>. Not to be confused with the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2008/08/house-project-done.html">project house</a> we worked on a few years ago. This little bungalow was built in 1913 in an old neighborhood not too far from where we live. It retains much of its original charm, from the exterior with its chunky brackets and beadboard porch ceiling to the interior with its beefy crown molding and kitchen built in. The bathroom is pretty sweet with hex tile and clawfoot tub too. From a previous post about <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/04/project-house-paint-scheme.html">exterior paint colors</a>, some people were drawn to the blue paint scheme, while others were not. The colors we chose were #3. Roycroft Brass was the major trim and Weathered Shingle for the gable shingles. Classic light buff for the soffits and Rookwood Dark red for the brackets and rafters. If it looks familiar that's because it is. My house is painted in roycroft brass and rookwood red. Very similar scheme but this one feels a little more jazzed up. The red is a little darker than the one I used on my house. Honestly my first choice would have been the blue too. I don't know -- I've had a thing for red brick and blues for some reason.. Anyway that was voted down and the current scheme was chosen since it was a little safer. I wasn't sure it would work in the final product, but I'm happy with it. The old house cleaned up well. Excuse the mess -- it's still not quite done (at least in these photos). Stay tuned and I'll throw up some proper before/after shots in the next week or two..</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tAjaHMIzJmZq15nr7D55IVCu9rx7sTx-ns51NmXoldNbB_tlVxHRX5TuIhyphenhyphenXG6Bb6ln2qsSYeTI0hXclAm17Gq152uRdmx4h0lBocQJeuNOjnjd3cM_K_2ZaGwQZQRapYYUIHIzaob1j/s1600/IMG_3484.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tAjaHMIzJmZq15nr7D55IVCu9rx7sTx-ns51NmXoldNbB_tlVxHRX5TuIhyphenhyphenXG6Bb6ln2qsSYeTI0hXclAm17Gq152uRdmx4h0lBocQJeuNOjnjd3cM_K_2ZaGwQZQRapYYUIHIzaob1j/s200/IMG_3484.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457670606004386" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHlm-_4vj9wD39RwBJ7oNEqn-zbsFE8DRSHbPslRXxJUsRXGwKEGaRBef-L2CC3nw9a5NgkW_nwG1K6wJ6vYj3H91vmcMtn3rUAnyWA3dW8Yzno8uO21q7j4gEmHDs5LYf_ig6dOdmcoK/s1600/IMG_3459.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHlm-_4vj9wD39RwBJ7oNEqn-zbsFE8DRSHbPslRXxJUsRXGwKEGaRBef-L2CC3nw9a5NgkW_nwG1K6wJ6vYj3H91vmcMtn3rUAnyWA3dW8Yzno8uO21q7j4gEmHDs5LYf_ig6dOdmcoK/s200/IMG_3459.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457500310177778" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEige6Qdwm_wuC0xHMYLW9c39Ijhv7CnIck-leTEMo1ZYaApCnoi00qWWaYBjYR2fNgrqi3ZzuA11JSPkmLKT6RTAY6uyHbdy7JkNpL272H7RcuGbwX5UCw6REp02hDETy_PCD4yfTT3yrHn/s1600/IMG_3460.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEige6Qdwm_wuC0xHMYLW9c39Ijhv7CnIck-leTEMo1ZYaApCnoi00qWWaYBjYR2fNgrqi3ZzuA11JSPkmLKT6RTAY6uyHbdy7JkNpL272H7RcuGbwX5UCw6REp02hDETy_PCD4yfTT3yrHn/s200/IMG_3460.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457413270122530" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_YmiVY4ZCQF5zgzHvNgK6alB4cJwMlO1QbG6BQQb_MePI8jrJHNcC7y_Zuy-cYaVQ7oqoJcoMjH1CHMvh_yLtjT9ZMpOmcxbHnE9L9ZYmhaCovL1hJJkCLYuI6UqwUSrmjeC3XF_q9yg/s1600/IMG_3461.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_YmiVY4ZCQF5zgzHvNgK6alB4cJwMlO1QbG6BQQb_MePI8jrJHNcC7y_Zuy-cYaVQ7oqoJcoMjH1CHMvh_yLtjT9ZMpOmcxbHnE9L9ZYmhaCovL1hJJkCLYuI6UqwUSrmjeC3XF_q9yg/s200/IMG_3461.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457316930579250" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzhAHTzWat1tBJbFZ2yMehPXrRc2q7T2oUAbONXGHvvm7EvZ37sA06b8TY59_yKeB7KypFtWAUG8eMKJTOTo65RtnyMThNDP9yPBJx0Z-EtnhyeDFfZ_2mdrsIiuPNEHLiGqJYLsWcrPA/s1600/IMG_3471.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzhAHTzWat1tBJbFZ2yMehPXrRc2q7T2oUAbONXGHvvm7EvZ37sA06b8TY59_yKeB7KypFtWAUG8eMKJTOTo65RtnyMThNDP9yPBJx0Z-EtnhyeDFfZ_2mdrsIiuPNEHLiGqJYLsWcrPA/s200/IMG_3471.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5606457191558532242" /></a><b>Thanks for visiting!</b><br /><div><br /></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">Next Tour Stop: </span></b><a href="http://bungalow23.com/2011/05/14/3rd-annual-bungalow-blog-tour/"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">Bungalow '23</span></b></a><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;">Previous Tour Stop: </span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><a href="http://www.bungalowchronicles.com/?p=3507">Bungalow Chronicles</a></span></b><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div></div></div></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-80778664680133765272011-05-04T22:53:00.003-06:002011-05-04T23:07:13.385-06:00nursery windows or die<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLHQHuJS3odGin2aMvZEiDtd61ULAZLr-pILdMMe6ODoGUaSo7NTujQLYEuEuLatK8hsiZcfvoxUuI5zXMUb-nK1oghiXsGiS2du2pH4JXAc3ATyHn-oDVgaJCUrXPVZRLt5aqfip5cwr/s1600/IMG_3451.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLHQHuJS3odGin2aMvZEiDtd61ULAZLr-pILdMMe6ODoGUaSo7NTujQLYEuEuLatK8hsiZcfvoxUuI5zXMUb-nK1oghiXsGiS2du2pH4JXAc3ATyHn-oDVgaJCUrXPVZRLt5aqfip5cwr/s200/IMG_3451.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603090880050713762" /></a>I've been working on these two windows in my daughter's room for the past six months or so. It's been on and off with these and I'm anxious to just finish them already. I take pride in that the windows in this bedroom will have been fully restored. The exterior framing has been repaired, caulked, and painted. The sash has been scraped & sanded down and the glass reset. I think I broke a pane or two along the way which have since been replaced. The glass has been cleaned and laid in a fresh bed of silicone and fixed with glaziers points. But hey, wait a minute. Didn't I paint the house a few months ago -- including these windows? You would be correct.<div><br /></div><div>Most of the work had already been done by yours truly only to have a mix up with the workers. Unfortunately for me the upper sashes were painted when I wasn't quite ready for it. Problem is I hadn't primed them with my oil based primer yet nor had I completely scraped down the one on the left. The fresh glazing would then be doomed to fail prematurely since the wood would suck up all the oil without the primer. As much as I procrastinated and kicked and screamed along the way, I took these down and pulled out the heatgun, scraped out the glazing, and sanded these down again. They're finally ready for a little wood filler and then I can finally get some primer on these things. It's been a long road but I think I'm finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once the sashes are complete I have a little something extra planned for these windows I'll share in a future post. To be continued..</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-53704508051534703242011-04-30T10:21:00.008-06:002011-04-30T10:47:27.289-06:00project house: paint scheme<div>So which one is your favorite?</div><div style="text-align: center;">#1</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ANtPp3fb6A0lTSmJ450DrECHsXM03SINwAY1NM29jo6akEUrisC4MGZEPz_jpofQ8HOa0m15ZV4XQXNh4bklqCDgbw4ue0Wr_KuQN9pfjFR9LkgBlMX9bWHaCNO3v8cUPzODjD-kk5ts/s1600/house1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5ANtPp3fb6A0lTSmJ450DrECHsXM03SINwAY1NM29jo6akEUrisC4MGZEPz_jpofQ8HOa0m15ZV4XQXNh4bklqCDgbw4ue0Wr_KuQN9pfjFR9LkgBlMX9bWHaCNO3v8cUPzODjD-kk5ts/s200/house1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601419006558666930" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">#2</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyuBr75bchbn5uLRIIBzDHBOwV4XqdX4eGjbdBeR-e8dN6sXFnPAv-HgAcxPdrPyh8Xf3XOMhZr8sU1FH53OkYp7JRS2GbufW4G2OuhOvyKyaxDJ_VMGLO46lT5q8Lb3FdKOAeCOTUneJ/s1600/house4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdyuBr75bchbn5uLRIIBzDHBOwV4XqdX4eGjbdBeR-e8dN6sXFnPAv-HgAcxPdrPyh8Xf3XOMhZr8sU1FH53OkYp7JRS2GbufW4G2OuhOvyKyaxDJ_VMGLO46lT5q8Lb3FdKOAeCOTUneJ/s200/house4.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601418865806230754" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">#3</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSG2T3CXPNZat7ZVlXnUeyOZQsrC3i2-S02jXu9Dw8tPXK9oYg-7tELCo3uRYJGpEWcvPA-h_y0x8QhZDjn1fVhLXcfhQvJ_RX9gqgQnmpbxtsREehMmjVMFon32e3WXkh_KCNpRyjmX/s1600/house5.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQOSG2T3CXPNZat7ZVlXnUeyOZQsrC3i2-S02jXu9Dw8tPXK9oYg-7tELCo3uRYJGpEWcvPA-h_y0x8QhZDjn1fVhLXcfhQvJ_RX9gqgQnmpbxtsREehMmjVMFon32e3WXkh_KCNpRyjmX/s200/house5.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601415208991703346" /></a><br /><div><br /></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-91567830232412021572011-04-24T10:27:00.005-06:002011-04-24T10:40:08.390-06:00project house: wallpaper overload<div>The project house is coming along nicely. We're several weeks into the renovations, but here are a few pictures of the interior prior to us buying the place. The in-laws were the driving force to acquiring this little bungalow, but it's turned into a family affair. Hopefully we'll do the place justice as there is a lot of cool detail for such a modest home. Case in point is the wood trim in the formal rooms. Lots of crown molding and beefy trim everywhere else. Don't mind the crazy amount of gold wallpaper -- that's coming down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here's a shot of the living room. Previous owners seemed to have got carried away and wallpapered the mantle tile.</div><div><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqWbMJqgFE8L84pq7u_POcRyaTsNY4UnkS3wL8GAsc7fxTvRzyJYWb3ZpeDvLgDYdfxHBM8bzArm80PKd7HzxrUuF7cSYJjXiiqjNPZssfIezuyVb4PbYgkf6KbyiOfWSn1n8txknEndI/s1600/firplace+wallpaper.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqWbMJqgFE8L84pq7u_POcRyaTsNY4UnkS3wL8GAsc7fxTvRzyJYWb3ZpeDvLgDYdfxHBM8bzArm80PKd7HzxrUuF7cSYJjXiiqjNPZssfIezuyVb4PbYgkf6KbyiOfWSn1n8txknEndI/s200/firplace+wallpaper.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599188374952138466" /></a>This picture overlooks the dining room.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6coXx9yt9rdXCZRNqGmDz_KlQx1Vd2THiEyQCtWvofFKjwn7tpEKoJpU_6oIGEej_3_DQJYn_ADYtGnsw1P1wZpsqZfPgnIWn-h97Km4RhMU8d4yFcUOes71WZtGNV2-Od7ny_EE1hsWy/s1600/dining+room.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6coXx9yt9rdXCZRNqGmDz_KlQx1Vd2THiEyQCtWvofFKjwn7tpEKoJpU_6oIGEej_3_DQJYn_ADYtGnsw1P1wZpsqZfPgnIWn-h97Km4RhMU8d4yFcUOes71WZtGNV2-Od7ny_EE1hsWy/s200/dining+room.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599188262648268354" /></a>Check out the pyramid style caps at the top of the door and window casing. Fancier than my house..</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yCvlKVabgviYOP3sIFAo5JHOLUg771p7rKHyq8E0pvU4JHOk7Fy-G2X69FFHqje9ZCiOkLsE8o2QsVBSANlHuaZtt1RWtW9v4RI7fEjQiaXTDQEd-pVBwMtDzr-Hus6zhyphenhyphenao-d5Dl6nd/s1600/trim+detail.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4yCvlKVabgviYOP3sIFAo5JHOLUg771p7rKHyq8E0pvU4JHOk7Fy-G2X69FFHqje9ZCiOkLsE8o2QsVBSANlHuaZtt1RWtW9v4RI7fEjQiaXTDQEd-pVBwMtDzr-Hus6zhyphenhyphenao-d5Dl6nd/s200/trim+detail.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599188140606159426" /></a><br /></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-32368735553769530672011-04-22T11:45:00.002-06:002011-04-22T11:52:36.704-06:00desert planting beds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGprFNHuSpmBCxzD97Q-632UTQKeFAv6wMMjgDjErVmsW8sapak1k_4jJjFz7fEk8vhDCGkMcfL-RruPOK2K7q-vt2xk1QNjfyE4BvVULjbp1vvlmNO0UdEIXt6Yyb2ZSoVAShD-RMj1s/s1600/IMG_3269.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGprFNHuSpmBCxzD97Q-632UTQKeFAv6wMMjgDjErVmsW8sapak1k_4jJjFz7fEk8vhDCGkMcfL-RruPOK2K7q-vt2xk1QNjfyE4BvVULjbp1vvlmNO0UdEIXt6Yyb2ZSoVAShD-RMj1s/s200/IMG_3269.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598466140424785874" /></a>Slow progress in my desert garden. The second planting bed has been carved out and filled with excess dirt. Plastic edging has been added and landscaping fabric installed. I'm slowly filtering rock screening and adding it back to the tops of these beds. Native plantings are gradually filling in the space. I don't have too much longer to get these in the ground before summer heat sets in, so I'll most likely hang back with the plantings until fall.<div><br /></div><div>Ugh, dirt piles.</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-43093710567376225382011-04-14T23:09:00.003-06:002011-04-14T23:23:44.094-06:00piles o' dirt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HXn32DQ2S9AcAxSyg5lNnTGplDTMlBB5YVuydqUGp8SsI47tJhe879gjcBWfxYm4yF8RKlSEczjP4skbZ9wxfmoaq_RGYg5VeU-TJwOMTgIAsc-JXbqnhS06OIvDfXWlP7UXbNrZZMiz/s1600/IMG_3267.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HXn32DQ2S9AcAxSyg5lNnTGplDTMlBB5YVuydqUGp8SsI47tJhe879gjcBWfxYm4yF8RKlSEczjP4skbZ9wxfmoaq_RGYg5VeU-TJwOMTgIAsc-JXbqnhS06OIvDfXWlP7UXbNrZZMiz/s200/IMG_3267.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595673452602527346" /></a>Piles of dirt haunt me in my dreams and they haunt me when I'm awake. As much as I try to get rid of some piles, I make new piles in the process. I'm getting pretty sick of it to be honest with you. Hopefully these piles will be the last ones I have to deal with here at the ol' McBroom house.<div><br /></div><div>Slowly you can see the raised beds are starting to take shape. So here's the plan: use up as much of the dirt pile hiding under the deck for the plant beds. Cover them with landscaping fabric to allow water to filter through. Then sift the rock screening and fill each bed an inch or two thick. I also have a huge pile of small boulders and rock to throw into the landscape to help make it more natural looking. I have a good sized pile of tan rock I lugged over from the other side of the house -- that's in the far corner. This will be used to create my gravel pathways, but first I lay down some thick plastic for durability. To keep the fine rock screening separate from the chunkier gravel, I weaved in some plastic edging. This should be the only obvious nod towards practicality with the desert garden. 'Til next time..</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-81136267217910726962011-04-05T23:04:00.005-06:002011-04-06T00:01:33.447-06:00backyard dirt corner overhaul<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCIQFNqqNaqCYKPl1x7ZnFf2rzQKfBQzo9LK4y-ZdyAAM8YgSn0YCES1_gdssFcZRYDJAl5N3Y1iBt5dKcTduIbrue1d9mCoJdA9X563cpYmpNzwkqqo3f_trMfLVtj-gTcXalwNI-bYf/s1600/IMG_3029.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCIQFNqqNaqCYKPl1x7ZnFf2rzQKfBQzo9LK4y-ZdyAAM8YgSn0YCES1_gdssFcZRYDJAl5N3Y1iBt5dKcTduIbrue1d9mCoJdA9X563cpYmpNzwkqqo3f_trMfLVtj-gTcXalwNI-bYf/s200/IMG_3029.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592333040500472370" /></a>It's got to look worse before it gets better.<div><br /></div><div>I like to tell myself that as I begin the landscaping punishment all over again. Honestly I hate tearing up my yard for months at a time. It drains you and you start to worry if it'll ever be finished. Shoulda left well enough alone and all that.. Unfortunately the truth was I couldn't leave it as it was, no matter how much I couldn't stomach what I knew I needed to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Way back when we bought the place (pre-blog), we had a cheapie landscape backyard fixup. Nothing special -- a small plot of grass and a bunch of rock screening (which I still despise). It was an improvement though. Prior to that it was a lot of dirt and weeds. Anyway over time my dogs slowly punched many a hole in the plastic sheeting underneath the screening. Eventually dirt got mixed in with the rock and weeds starting popping up with no mercy. Until I finally decided to get this last corner of my yard under control, there were entire sections of that plastic missing. It was a major timesuck having to maintain this part of the yard. Xeriscapes shouldn't need constant maintenance and come monsoon season I always ended up with a weed forest. Nothing a hoe or well placed yank couldn't take care of, but I wanted something care free.</div><div><br /></div><div>My landscaping master plan basically created a few raised beds in this corner with a gravel pathway meandering through. I hit a few bumps along the way but I think it still came out pretty close to what I envisioned. From the picture above you'll notice there are already a few plants in the ground. These went in last fall to give them some time to get established. I'll go over exactly what plants I'm using in a future post. That little palm tree you see poking out the top corner had to go, being that it was non-native and all. Actually the thing sprouted like a weed a few years ago. It was already starting to get kind of big by the time I pulled it out. We had a big freeze over the winter where a huge number of these palm trees died across the city. Night temperatures hovered around zero degrees for a few days. Not too big a deal for the natives but was catastrophic for the tropical plants people love to plant here (including my lime tree, <i>sniff</i>).</div><div><br /></div><div>So anyway, the project first involved lots of moving rock screening until I hit the plastic layer. The area with the beds had the plastic removed. Leveled out the dirt layer then started using my excess dirt (which I have plenty of) for the raised beds. I did this a section at a time until I could carve out each bed. From this overhead view it doesn't look like much yet, but trust me this is going to look purty. :)</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-88274565353789524532011-03-27T23:16:00.003-06:002011-03-31T23:03:16.787-06:00landscape dreaming<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuqYYT5RGJ0wX90xXZMH_XzA9xqnvhrQ1BW1QaXO9E1GEuypXw_e_CFHREfSABIVx632VgsAZzBN8Wr0G_kwZmS7O_Uj9UwIl0p_soTO1X6WtqH-W7J7JzKYUfYz-zYy7ijiOJ6m6bpSj/s1600/IMG_2402.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKuqYYT5RGJ0wX90xXZMH_XzA9xqnvhrQ1BW1QaXO9E1GEuypXw_e_CFHREfSABIVx632VgsAZzBN8Wr0G_kwZmS7O_Uj9UwIl0p_soTO1X6WtqH-W7J7JzKYUfYz-zYy7ijiOJ6m6bpSj/s200/IMG_2402.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588996073312748658" /></a>Ah, a boy and a dream. This corner of my back yard has always been where I wanted to do something really special. Despite my yearnings for landscaping perfection, I had to settle for some basic cleaning up this past summer. I was just completing the latest round of house projects and I had neither the cash nor will to push forward with my vision for this corner.<div><br /></div><div>Way back when we bought this place we'd imagined this would be a good corner for a two-car garage. I designed the yard with that in mind, if it were to ever materialize. But ever since we had permit parking put in on our street the need for parking was a non-issue. So what to do with this available chunk of real estate? A desert garden of course!</div><div><br /></div><div>As much as I love grass and big old oak trees I can also appreciate the vast beauty of the Chihuahuan desert. To make the garden perfect it would have to be a well defined xeriscape. Lush, but not overdone. Somewhat tamed, yet wild. It should look natural. I had my landscaping master plan approved for the house way back in fall 2009. Much like my windows, I complete piece by piece in stages. Up until a few months ago it was just a dream. I'm knee deep in it and starting to see the light at the end of tunnel though. Updates coming soon..</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-90167378053521393082011-03-15T23:21:00.004-06:002011-04-01T08:21:14.961-06:00it's official: we're nuts<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALlih8BCmfHyYXP9gX9sY4mVMnrt8esjB9GcgtzA6BoIgD6Y9W19PpHz5TrrRbFm1jiIRnc1yaWNfRJkjm_Db_ohYp9yqgC4IlVyhHo8rFVftqynfkWxjpp4nG-UJGb5gxR-RfaH8_XfV/s1600/alley+angle+view.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 141px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALlih8BCmfHyYXP9gX9sY4mVMnrt8esjB9GcgtzA6BoIgD6Y9W19PpHz5TrrRbFm1jiIRnc1yaWNfRJkjm_Db_ohYp9yqgC4IlVyhHo8rFVftqynfkWxjpp4nG-UJGb5gxR-RfaH8_XfV/s200/alley+angle+view.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5584544016367763106" /></a>We seem to have acquired another project house.<div><br /></div><div>Yes, it's adorable and in need of love. But WTF, didn't I learn my lesson the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2008/02/tales-of-smelting-and-rehab.html">first time</a>? Apparently not. The timing of that first project happened to coincide with strenuous hours at the office and our first child. It was an all around stressful time. And yet, I think we were able to pull it off for the most part. That house was always intended as a "flip" property. Given the economic collapse that began to materialize not too long after we took on the project, I'm glad we emerged relatively unscathed.</div><div><br /></div><div>This time we're going in with the intention of fixing the place up as a rental property. It's already a rental, but still maintains it's single family layout. We don't plan to do anything hardcore like we did with the other house, but we will fix misc things (some major, some minor). In the end, I think this will be a place you'd <i>want</i> to rent. To be continued..</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-13777509223970563652011-03-12T10:37:00.003-07:002011-03-12T10:39:44.085-07:00Spring!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSf6Xe6vdM7P4b9R9hFTkySZ08u6c2H5p5z2XOXk5EuOL34QfVl7-d1rbSvy_VJSYM7XZejH7RFg0gZKdhRaoj1vz74a9M3JuUfRusDtFDa3k-dF3ysueJUhVEWL8nbC8fry6Y7gUGH-l/s1600/IMG_3249.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzSf6Xe6vdM7P4b9R9hFTkySZ08u6c2H5p5z2XOXk5EuOL34QfVl7-d1rbSvy_VJSYM7XZejH7RFg0gZKdhRaoj1vz74a9M3JuUfRusDtFDa3k-dF3ysueJUhVEWL8nbC8fry6Y7gUGH-l/s200/IMG_3249.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5583249141051326306" /></a>When my plum trees start blooming I know it's time to start cleaning up the dump that is my backyard. <i>Groan</i>..Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-16165200892590353362011-02-27T22:39:00.004-07:002011-02-27T22:59:04.527-07:00kitchen register<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SFGAfDgiQlOBpTzzQkKObhuCOvMIiKaX1Nls4F3XgbK508PSmevlPXPV7ilmOClTYOMqBH_gKflPcSj_L8OAPqpECXNPK2ARreh6xY31USGXhtBG9bGVQxpiQJVqNSCznp0N0iRnoKBR/s1600/IMG_3169.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SFGAfDgiQlOBpTzzQkKObhuCOvMIiKaX1Nls4F3XgbK508PSmevlPXPV7ilmOClTYOMqBH_gKflPcSj_L8OAPqpECXNPK2ARreh6xY31USGXhtBG9bGVQxpiQJVqNSCznp0N0iRnoKBR/s200/IMG_3169.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578611616511918562" /></a>Once upon a time I tried finding a replacement for the kitchen heat register. I knew I needed a register for a 10x12 opening, The original replacement I got off ebay went towards the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2008/02/tales-of-smelting-and-rehab.html">project house</a> when I realized the dimensions were for the outside frame and would never work. So I was stuck with the ugly air return vent pictured above. To tame the amount of airflow I resorted to partially taping the vent. It was a temporary solution until I got off my keester and got a true replacement. Upon my wife's insistence, I finally got a <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/02/register-resurrection.html">replacement solution</a> off ebay. This one had the correct dimensions so I proceeded to clean up the old duct and spray paint it with some high heat gray paint.<div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JxPZT5OVapYXgHGqXSipAS9RIK5eT6z9xoPF8L9NVlJSin9GmW5mabT6898MFCsFurDUyxlswtLkNZgDRWWizPCOAneFt2mQY-hS2dVwr7lSb7i7yhUH4LGiGnlSY2dE16mANo_FgjQN/s1600/IMG_3185.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JxPZT5OVapYXgHGqXSipAS9RIK5eT6z9xoPF8L9NVlJSin9GmW5mabT6898MFCsFurDUyxlswtLkNZgDRWWizPCOAneFt2mQY-hS2dVwr7lSb7i7yhUH4LGiGnlSY2dE16mANo_FgjQN/s200/IMG_3185.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578611518831735218" /></a>After some tedious cleaning and painting of the new heat register, we installed it and it looks like it's always been there. I'm thinking about continuing the momentum and painting the kitchen too -- it's down the priority list but I think it'll make this room feel so much nicer.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG785_Jft7AdLScdBXalOviikQow1aIhFmmkwJEeZ_XVVxZhAGNu4oWHE2yzARDsrTr2uFpkm3qUl0vd4kLQujLfLhIUc3VyPMMM9xwlg2leYj_EtRss1sxGl6PFUX1eRD6a3cKdg9h5RC/s1600/IMG_3196.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG785_Jft7AdLScdBXalOviikQow1aIhFmmkwJEeZ_XVVxZhAGNu4oWHE2yzARDsrTr2uFpkm3qUl0vd4kLQujLfLhIUc3VyPMMM9xwlg2leYj_EtRss1sxGl6PFUX1eRD6a3cKdg9h5RC/s200/IMG_3196.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578611419812280242" /></a><br /><br /></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-61196986438006454142011-02-25T20:40:00.007-07:002011-02-25T21:25:30.315-07:00exterior paint is done!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurSTg69PTDE-l4-m4mxlwmd6YzX5tLZgywSqDj8vh29rA0ojbyMCln5g9UlOfrp7_KqqNbDIHi2qwTU7_kKANzNqRy9jcr_wamKbq_-bEWB0Xwsb7V51mv1EIqNraZ5OJ8p4ywMjYh5RL/s1600/IMG_3201.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgurSTg69PTDE-l4-m4mxlwmd6YzX5tLZgywSqDj8vh29rA0ojbyMCln5g9UlOfrp7_KqqNbDIHi2qwTU7_kKANzNqRy9jcr_wamKbq_-bEWB0Xwsb7V51mv1EIqNraZ5OJ8p4ywMjYh5RL/s200/IMG_3201.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577839618385154482" /></a>I can faintly here that cheezy song "I'm too sexy.." looking at these picures. It's been way too long that I've been working to get this house to this point. When I come home I tend to cringe less and less, so I think we're getting there. Behold, the full pics <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/omar.brenda/HouseExterior#5577842618619076946">here</a>.Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-86268849527528133542011-02-24T22:23:00.004-07:002011-02-25T07:48:33.233-07:00paint disaster averted<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu01uW3VDpkLVJ_ZsXB8kPq3XO7Pp648zZAA2L0szF_5NG7cQmqbHhde7Bolmmz6Wk-e5kNK9zGZnCz6S90p3H5ol0FSWqNp7PIGd4y-r5guu_buejuvqPNSIxo9aM3UHchXt8ikPgzq9/s1600/v1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilu01uW3VDpkLVJ_ZsXB8kPq3XO7Pp648zZAA2L0szF_5NG7cQmqbHhde7Bolmmz6Wk-e5kNK9zGZnCz6S90p3H5ol0FSWqNp7PIGd4y-r5guu_buejuvqPNSIxo9aM3UHchXt8ikPgzq9/s200/v1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577638406391244674" /></a><div style="text-align: left;">It seems I've had workers scurrying around my house for the past two months. Well actually, we have. First the roofers had their way with the place. A week went by and then I had the next crew come in to do misc things both inside and out. The biggest changes were to the exterior. Most obvious would be the completion of my paint scheme. The colors were decided long ago and for the most part I had a very specific style in mind. The khaki green would be the dominant color, peppered with the very intense maroon red. On my windows you've noticed I go for a red sash bordered by the green trim.</div><div><br /></div><div>I always knew I wanted the eaves to be two toned as well. The beams were going to be red and the soffit green. <i>See porch eaves (don't mind the red band just below).</i> So how come it didn't look quite right? As the workers were painting one side of the house I let it stew for a few days and tried to shake it off. No, of course it's right -- how else would it be? Luckily Sherwin Williams has a paint visualizer tool on their website that lets you upload photos to try out different paint schemes using their colors. I played around with that for an hour until it finally slapped me in the face. The crown molding that intersects the row of beams needs to be painted red too. <i>See roof eaves.</i> Otherwise they just look kind of floaty and jarring to the eye. Well to me at least. Figuring as how I was going to live with this paint scheme for the next 20 years or more, it's best to get this done right the first time. Cost me a little extra to go back and paint the crown, but it was worth it.. Sorry I don't have any after pics yet -- they're coming. My house has looked like hell until just today -- the workers finally finished the last of this round of projects.</div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-74349524307472510882011-02-19T16:02:00.003-07:002011-02-19T16:08:40.228-07:00house numbers<div>So after deciding to rip open the <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/01/porch-restoration.html">porch beam</a> to get to the bottom of the sagging issue, the house numbers came down as well. They initially looked fairly unremarkable, until we noticed bits of copper shining through the paint. A hardware boil and cleanup session later and we had some sweet looking copper house numbers, which as far as we know, are original.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before:</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZlEpgGrNtTO_7mia9kC7a16rhdoxuAAvBSx6tEq2O53KNIIwP6AVrDk7qVnPaxH7nsxlor2AeNepGn68K4yAHuoOAs4hOTJsScB6qqTK0roZYuorvxkd7IHETESbpxdFmBDC2badhFBd/s1600/IMG_3160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ZlEpgGrNtTO_7mia9kC7a16rhdoxuAAvBSx6tEq2O53KNIIwP6AVrDk7qVnPaxH7nsxlor2AeNepGn68K4yAHuoOAs4hOTJsScB6qqTK0roZYuorvxkd7IHETESbpxdFmBDC2badhFBd/s200/IMG_3160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575540318488422978" /></a>After:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-h4eHPCrINHBnJom5TH-8dlPOfc_tTTEE2Ca7Z6Ur6ShH6Aa22qAHGop22j6FQ5CPusUFFuiLGZNJJJ3L7z33Y1YYsne9Gc2yg-XeXmvWQaJSTvudrtGWW-E3eL_1MGLbDph1BsNNe_R/s1600/IMG_3178.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-h4eHPCrINHBnJom5TH-8dlPOfc_tTTEE2Ca7Z6Ur6ShH6Aa22qAHGop22j6FQ5CPusUFFuiLGZNJJJ3L7z33Y1YYsne9Gc2yg-XeXmvWQaJSTvudrtGWW-E3eL_1MGLbDph1BsNNe_R/s200/IMG_3178.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575540225759661042" /></a>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-4972436355184566622011-02-12T13:06:00.004-07:002011-02-12T13:27:21.081-07:00beam story continued<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0dHfs_5XyitjVruBYtHRXiBx_bh8ArO6nCyrceLGvAo-dMawPx4tx5w2dqpHQgwMhUSGDbl-C9X8UH8YULVL7lDY1Cho6iD42GxePo-enngxB3n6gzUAyzwVm-0XeVTUeoBR6VIsfuNw/s1600/IMG_3149.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0dHfs_5XyitjVruBYtHRXiBx_bh8ArO6nCyrceLGvAo-dMawPx4tx5w2dqpHQgwMhUSGDbl-C9X8UH8YULVL7lDY1Cho6iD42GxePo-enngxB3n6gzUAyzwVm-0XeVTUeoBR6VIsfuNw/s200/IMG_3149.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572897451936471842" /></a>In a previous post I gave the back story of our initial findings on the front <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2011/01/beam-me-up.html">porch beam</a>. Long story short, there is no massive structural beam hiding under there. Instead the weight of the roof is actually held by the porch roof joists themselves. The internal framing that spans the front fascia is a truss system. I'm sure it lends additional support, but probably not much. Thus the slight sagging was probably due to settling rather than actual structural problems like say, a cracked joist or beam. So we were safe to fix the look cosmetically instead.<div><br /></div><div>In the above pic you'll notice the gap on the right side is slightly more open than the other. The reason is the roof is actually one course of brick higher on that side. Honestly it kind of bugs me now that I know it's there, but we'll just call it character. The house was built this way and it's been fine for 100 years. If it was rotting and falling apart I would have took it all down and rebuilt it level. However since all the wood is solid and in great shape this was not necessary.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead a level was strung end to end to get the lowest point and rebuild the fascia to accommodate the slightly lower beam line. New and old wood was then cut to size to fill in the remaining voids. When the horizontal molding is added back in, the fix should be mostly imperceptible. Hopefully.<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJVll6cZdyFHxJNg43n2wigOZfaWKOZMi_G7jlZiXbOvvYPxDSREn_J5hMXBkup5jY-NEQsX0uQCWbid3GlGxtwkqsyTx0FM0zTCGEbTjPuBYVvnSmpK7xgc61_fQD71SUH-Cb2DnFBDQ/s1600/IMG_3157.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJVll6cZdyFHxJNg43n2wigOZfaWKOZMi_G7jlZiXbOvvYPxDSREn_J5hMXBkup5jY-NEQsX0uQCWbid3GlGxtwkqsyTx0FM0zTCGEbTjPuBYVvnSmpK7xgc61_fQD71SUH-Cb2DnFBDQ/s200/IMG_3157.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572897377405490962" /></a>Here's a sneak peek at our new paint scheme..</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ASBm-AGnUxaJwyhfXs6-IGmNGI1BFocF52LyLp4qfKRZ_-tOkbgfbMW8yhJv7JG_RhtgorFTUmCgMmD52SJIyKq113aQp1rs_Tu212e5KUYjibg-Oxl7amg3b8xdB4_ntOulK_ckFM4l/s1600/IMG_3176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ASBm-AGnUxaJwyhfXs6-IGmNGI1BFocF52LyLp4qfKRZ_-tOkbgfbMW8yhJv7JG_RhtgorFTUmCgMmD52SJIyKq113aQp1rs_Tu212e5KUYjibg-Oxl7amg3b8xdB4_ntOulK_ckFM4l/s200/IMG_3176.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572897292906287362" /></a><br /></div></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-52609701813701087932011-02-10T22:33:00.004-07:002011-02-10T22:55:12.776-07:00the mystery of 1912<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphtzjMkTAfucd8jU2GWkrYu3Gm3ukS3mwP4ac92cx5YfCLhjGov5F7vdDgDbT7jSh8MrhcVJq0tsPgLj6y3klaeGEvu9QbKvfOWdc44dkw_C7R0GebMLZSP9qI1_0bJK1n9rxjLYLlR5Q/s1600/IMG_3152.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphtzjMkTAfucd8jU2GWkrYu3Gm3ukS3mwP4ac92cx5YfCLhjGov5F7vdDgDbT7jSh8MrhcVJq0tsPgLj6y3klaeGEvu9QbKvfOWdc44dkw_C7R0GebMLZSP9qI1_0bJK1n9rxjLYLlR5Q/s200/IMG_3152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572301303148726706" /></a>So the other day my contractor calls me over to check something out on the side of the house. We look up the utility chimney stack near the guest room window. One of his crew had discovered some writing, a date in fact. "10 11 12". This wasn't scribbled in mind you, someone actually carved into that brick in some fancy script.<div><br /></div><div>A few years back I traced this house to be <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2007/08/mcbroom-house.html">built in 1914</a>, based on city directories from the era. You can't argue with something carved into the masonry in an inconspicuous spot though. So was this house actually built in 1912? Can't say for sure, but the masons had definitely begun construction of the brick structure by then. Or maybe that was a signature the builder would put on the house when the house was freshly minted. Either way, I think it's just too cool. Now everyone go inspect your chimney stacks... You know you want to! :)<br /><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1UUVVFqNghWijGo1xwKE-seg5QEtClzz-HL46IjMi95eIMOWxXZeq9N4wk1ukfkzjgBLa4EajEMu7UQWqpp71F696Rgrio2oZ-ZA_iOUOTF6Vl-5ddqKJfO4ia4JgDOJDUqCrgvHJj32/s1600/IMG_3154.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1UUVVFqNghWijGo1xwKE-seg5QEtClzz-HL46IjMi95eIMOWxXZeq9N4wk1ukfkzjgBLa4EajEMu7UQWqpp71F696Rgrio2oZ-ZA_iOUOTF6Vl-5ddqKJfO4ia4JgDOJDUqCrgvHJj32/s200/IMG_3154.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572301132645196050" /></a><br /></div></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5561640961405000295.post-1735628878722092582011-02-01T17:43:00.004-07:002011-02-01T18:05:00.534-07:00register resurrection<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGDPXW0cNoAxza4-VrQgyIm-UJRFNBH0A_Mmlp7iirXy2AGF-HyDJ7EMX63VuTOki5J_1d4as6u-h25xHWgA5ohOU3Jg4XDnjnkE06qP5Sv7ki5nTHju_cwtC5oJFgApIxbwl_vPCDa-Y/s1600/IMG_3162.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGDPXW0cNoAxza4-VrQgyIm-UJRFNBH0A_Mmlp7iirXy2AGF-HyDJ7EMX63VuTOki5J_1d4as6u-h25xHWgA5ohOU3Jg4XDnjnkE06qP5Sv7ki5nTHju_cwtC5oJFgApIxbwl_vPCDa-Y/s200/IMG_3162.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568887799559456210" /></a>A while back you may remember I introduced some of my <a href="http://epfoursquare.blogspot.com/2010/08/old-heat-registers.html">old heat registers</a>. They're original to the house and while in fair condition, definitely need to be restored. I got a replacement register for the dining room, but the other two had a few issues that needed ironing out. A crack here, a missing piece there -- luckily I was able to find a good welder to help me put these back into working order. In the interest of getting this information out there for other old house nuts in the EP area, Master's Welding hooked me up.<div><br /></div><div>You might notice a beefy register in the top left photo -- that's my new kitchen register. There's a long story that goes with that so I'll save it for next time. Check those sweet welds!<br /><div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJEbSrNubM604no4OHi0X52SUm37l-ZxW-xfsBCgLFiNRVlTjqWXXqiJZJrL_f79Tn8f9mLwRJIVOUKurTjnUTLH44NxJZ9pzvINE84389T96w_Pek3463H_maPnoD39RWNMG3y-0-UAl/s1600/IMG_3166.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJEbSrNubM604no4OHi0X52SUm37l-ZxW-xfsBCgLFiNRVlTjqWXXqiJZJrL_f79Tn8f9mLwRJIVOUKurTjnUTLH44NxJZ9pzvINE84389T96w_Pek3463H_maPnoD39RWNMG3y-0-UAl/s200/IMG_3166.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568887595780159426" /></a><br /></div></div></div>Omarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04970754466377061517noreply@blogger.com0