Closet Organizer

My wife has sweaters. Lots of sweaters. A dresser full of sweaters.

And I want to dispose of that dresser. It was my grandfather's and it was a lousy piece of furniture when it was new. Age has not improved it in the slightest.

So the deal was that she would let me throw out the dresser if I made her some shelves in her closet to hold her sweaters. Naturally, I wanted to match the decor of our kitchen and master bath, so it would be cherry with a face frame. Clear coated, to age and color naturally.

It took a week, but it is done now.

I hope she's happy with it.

Edge banding the shelves with cherry strips

Pocket and shelf pin holes done

Installing the top and bottom

Sides installed, finishing the carcass

Face frame installed

Closet shelves installed

Shifting Gears

I am transitioning myself from remodelling to vacationing. The major project I'm running, at work, is moving from design to construction (starting with demolition).

I am shifting gears.

When this happens, there is that moment of uncertainty. That period of time where you do not accelerate. You coast and prepare for a lurch. That is how I feel now. Right now, my days feel wasted. I try to convince myself that it's okay. I deserve a break. But I don't believe myself. I can tell when I'm lying, because I no damn good at it.

A couple years ago I wrote about being at an inflection point. Things will turn up soon, because they always do. I guess I'm still waiting.

Remodeling Complete

Done.

My winter project of remodeling the bulk of our home is complete. Here is how the upstairs came out, with some before and after photographs.

Upper Hall: Before and After

Stairway: Before and After

Master Bedroom: Before and After

I'm already getting antsy, since there's not much more planning to be done for our upcoming vacation. There is yard work and general repairs to do, though. And after our vacation I want to gut and redo the children's bathroom. For now, though, my big project is done and the house looks a lot nicer.

Winter Project

My winter project is almost done.

The goal was to remodel the piano room, family room, office, and master bathroom. That meant new flooring, painted ceilings, walls and base molding, a fireplace, hallways, stairs, and carpeting in the bedrooms.

Much of this work was done solely by myself. I removed the old carpet, painted, installed hardwood flooring, designed and installed the fireplace.

Friday, the carpet comes.

This weekend, we put our bedrooms back together.

Then it is done.

The big project will make way for small putterings. Sarah's flowers. Hope's tomatoes.

I can, also, overplan and fret over our upcoming vacation. Sixty-seven days to embarkation, and counting down.

Tools of Winter

There has been some interest of late in getting started making your own bookcases and the like. Simple things that last, but not heirloom furniture.

Woodworking isn't my hobby. Like anything else, it has been a case of monkey see, monkey do. We have all put together pre-made furniture. Heavy slabs of particle board, held together with quarter-turn fasteners.

"Surely, I couldn't do this," we say to ourselves. After all, those parts were factory-made with precision cuts and drilled holes. Never mind that nothing quite lines up right when we're assembling it. We can't do this.

Not that I wouldn't try. Oh, I'd buy some 2 x 4s and screw them together with some drywall screws I had lying around. It would look like hell and fall apart.

Then, I wanted to remodel my bathroom. I wanted one stinking cabinet. Natural cherry, to match my kitchen. One lousy vanity. Okay, maybe some matching shelves. I couldn't find that anywhere. Anything close was thousands. Thousands. I didn't want the whole room to cost that much!

So I started looking, really looking, at my kitchen cabinets. And I thought, maybe - just maybe - I could make one, too. Christmas was coming, so I asked for a couple tools. Soon after, I had my master bathroom remodeled. Walls freshly painted. New toilet and sink. A lovely granite counter set onto a cherry vanity that I had made. On a tile floor I had laid.

All it took was a way to join two pieces of wood together in a quick and sturdy manner. And all because I wanted what I wanted, but was both impatient and cheap.