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pictures
As I was heading to bed last night, I looked out the bedroom window... and snapped this picture. It kind of looks surreal. The sticky snow painted the big maple tree white.
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Calvin and Hobbes...
I'm a huge fan of Bill Watterson's genius creation, the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes" which Watterson sadly discontinued on December 31st, 1995. It's hard to imagine it's been 19 years since Calvin and Hobbes romped across the cartoonic world...
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food porn...
Oatmeal molasses bread...
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Rec Room
Part of what started off this project was the layout... the useless hallway, the oversized laundry room and the disco-era rec room. I don't know which was worse; the rec room with it's awful with nasty smelly carpet glued to tiles which were stuck to the concrete. The ceiling had faux wooden beams; the wood was real but it…
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here we go...
Back in 2014, I divorced and moved as we sold the matrimonial home. I bought a house in an established neighbourhood from the original owner who had it built in 1962. It wasn't quite a handyman special but it was fairly close... It needed a new furnace, a new roof, you name it... I took care of the urgent needs (ie:…
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Laundry room
In trying to plan out my next steps for the renovation, I decided to start with the drywall in the laundry room. I'd like to say there's a stunningly clever reason but no, not really... When the guys brought the drywall, I had them lean it against the wall in the rec room... so I figured using up some of the drywall in the…
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Long September, please...
As summer winds down, I really hope for a long September as 2021 seems to be slipping away... https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk
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lower level bathroom...
I posted several other pictures of the ongoing renovation of the lower level bathroom on the "here we go" thread. I thought maybe I should dedicate a thread. Today, I put measured, cut and fitted up the decoupling membrane. The next step is to use thinset mortar to stick the membrane to the concrete... then I'm back to…
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Cold Wind in August...
July ended in a rain storm and August began with a windy day here in Ottawa. For some reason, that reminded me of Van Morrison... How is everyone's summer going? Are you meeting your fitness goals? Drinking enough water? https://youtu.be/B2kmMohN-AE
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central vacuum system
The main purpose of my renovation of the lower level of my house was the foundation had no insulation or vapour barrier. When I removed the old drywall, I found the old framing was awful and a hairline crack in the foundation... but I digress... Since I had everything apart, I decided to retrofit a central vacuum system.…
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Bring on July...
Busy times! I'm renovating the lower level of my house... rec room, laundry room and second bathroom. The space was developed when the house was built in 1962 but the layout was awkward... the walls were uninsulated (not a good thing in Canada but not unusual for 60s construction). Although the second bathroom was plumbed…
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Food porn...
My wife Pam asked me to make a lemon meringue pie. I only had one lemon but I also had a lime... so it's a lemon-lime meringue pie. I left it in the oven slightly too long but I like firm meringue so it's all good...
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Electrical fun
Part of my fun with this renovation is playing with electricity. I'm not a licensed electrician... but my post-secondary is in electronics engineering so I'm familiar with the basic concepts. The 2 car garage at the back of the property was originally powered by a single skinny wire which was installed wrong... so I rented…
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Subflooring...
The floor on the lower level is poured concrete. As was typical at that time, it does not have insulation or vapour barrier under the concrete but overall, it's in decent shape. The laundry room had indoor/outdoor carpet which was dirty. Shortly after I took possession, I pulled up the carpet up and threw it away. I would…
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The joy of plumbing...
I probably should have taken pictures of the old plumbing before I tore it out but I was trying to get things back in place as quickly as possible... To explain, there was one foundation wall left uninsulated and with no framing in the laundry room. This was because the old water supply pipes were literally attached to the…
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Don't be jejune...
Jejune: adj. Not interesting; dull. adj. Lacking maturity; childish. adj. Lacking in nutrition. Welcome to June! The first five months flew by at breakneck speed. Now we're into the summer months, good weather, farmer's markets and NO EXCUSES to not be active!! Get after it, everyone!! Don't be jejune; go enjoy June!!
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May Days Begin!!
I don't know about the rest of you but the latter part of April was wet and cold here. In fact, here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, we got a small dump of snow on Thursday night. Hopefully that means the May flowers will be spectacular. Not that we'll see much of them if the government doesn't' stop with the ridiculous…
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April showers bring May flowers
Old sayings often have a grain or three of truth in them but sometimes it seems less so. For example, if March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb... yet this year in Texas, after the storm of the century in February, I doubt there was much of anything that could happen in March to compare. Oddly enough, the blue…
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Marching into March
The winter is slipping away and spring is sneaking up on us... February brought a remarkable winter storm to Texas... freezing rain followed by snow & freezing temperatures... with predictable results. In my area, we lost power for a few days, had supply chain disruptions and were under a "boil water advisory" for a week.…
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February follies...
Goodbye to the holiday season... For those not in my FL, 2020 got one last kick in the guts for me. In the wee hours of January 1st, my father (age 83) suddenly & unexpectedly passed away from an abdominal aortic aneurysm. He was in good health, active and strong, to the end. I know 83 is a decently long life... he spent…
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New Years Resolutions
Hello 2021... Now that the holidays are over, it's time to start burning off them holiday pounds...
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October is Pumpkin Spice Month
I gotta say, I don't quite get the pumpkin spice thing but anything with cinnamon can't be all bad. Everyone ready for autumn?
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Welcome
This group is for members to share their DIY and Renovation pics. If you have any questions or want to see pictures of anything in particular on my renovation, let me know!
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Quarantine Diet
I just got back from a road trip, driving from Texas back to Canada... and my wife & I are now in quarantine for 14 days. One would think being stuck in the house would make meal planning easy but I find I'm less interested in cooking than usual... and I'm not big of meal planning at the best of times. Anyone have a…
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September arrives...
Is it just me or has this year just flown by? September arrives... The beginning of Autumn is the 23rd and that's only a few weeks away... As the summer winds down, how is everyone doing? Ready for sweater weather and falling leafs?
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June is not jejune!
Definition of jejune 1 : devoid of significance or interest: dull jejune lectures 2 : juvenile: puerile jejune reflections on life and art 3 : lacking nutritive value: jejune diets The beginning of summer approaches; the winter is gone. Get out there! Exercise & enjoy!!
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May you have...
May you have auspiciousness and causes of success May you have the confidence to always do your best May it take no effort in you being generous Sharing what you can, nothing more, nothing less May you know the meaning of the word happiness May you always lead from the beating in your chest May you be treated like an…
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April showers bring wet sockings...
A buddy of mine sent a news article claiming the authorities who are responsible for the Cabot Trail, a popular roadway on Canada's east coast, were barring the roadway to motorcycles after complaints by RV owners about being passed and locals about loud mufflers. The joy of April Fools Day...…
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The month of Feblueberry...
I'm late posting up the monthly "how's it going" thang... I was on vacation, helping my fiance move down in Texas... not much internet access and I dislike using the phone app... As you tweak your diet, one of the areas to be very careful of is fruit juices. Not all juices are created equally but one thing is certain: you…
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Marching into spring or springing into March?
The frozen tundra of Canada is still tightly in the grip of the Snow-Meister. My driveway has thick packed ice; too heavy for me to break up and remove. The snow in my front yard is piled so high that I cannot see the street and my backyard is at the height of the 5' fence in most places... Hard to imagine that the first…
