It is Labor Day and I noticed that it has been another 5 weeks since our last post. With the remodeling done, it is now just small projects here and there that Gary and I are working on. With any project it is nice to have someone else to help out and we have been lucky enough to have a very eager new neighbor to help us out from time to time.

A couple of months ago, we had new neighbors move in (Lauren and Christian) and with them came their 2 and a half year old son Diego.

They are great neighbors and Diego enjoys hanging out in the driveway with us. He is a very curious kid and reminds us of our nephew Reid when he was that age. He always wants to help and has helped Gary wash his hummer and our three Harley's.


In fact, he loves motorcycles and every time Diego hears one of us fire up the bike he runs to the door of his house and looks out at us and waves. It is very cute.

Well, our most recent project has been the continuation of the garage remodel. Two weeks ago after looking at several options, we contracted Home Depot to come in and lay down an epoxy coating on the garage floor. The floor can be seen in several of these pictures, and if you look at the first picture with Diego you can see it quite well. The installation involves filling in any cracks in the concrete and then sanding everything down. After that they lay the mixture of chips that we picked out over the entire floor (we chose to go with a black, brown and white color scheme). The chips look like confetti and those sit for a day. The next day, they returned and then poured a clear epoxy over the entire floor and let it dry. We could not walk on the floor for 36 hours and then could not drive on it for a week.

As we waited for the floor to 'cure' enough to move the cars and Harley's back in, Gary and I decided that we would like to add some color to the garage. We immediately thought Orange and Black. 'Orange and Black?' - you probably gasped! Yeah those are Harley-Davidson colors so we thought it would fit for our style. So, I spent a day and a half with a laser level and blue tape and marked out two Horizontal stripes around all three bays of the garage. Marking a 8 inch stripe for black paint and a 2 inch stripe for orange. While I did this Diego came out and said 'What are you doing?' to Gary. Gary told him and for the next two days Diego would spend some of his day as Gary's little helper, while his mom Lauren sat in the driveway watching and I was taping up the garage.

Diego was a great helper as he would put the liquid nails on the back of the tiles for our kick plates and windowsill, help carry lumber or help install the lumber as baseboards.


Diego always made sure to have the proper helmet on when working with Gary in the garage.


And when Gary needed an extra hand to hold the tape measure, Diego was always there to help out.



After the baseboards were down, Gary helped me with the painting of the racing stripes (and the subsequent touching up where the paint bleed beneath the blue tape). Once that was done, we started moving some things into the garage (it had been living in the breezeway for a couple of weeks).

We then went shopping for some garage organizers for all of our garden tools etc. We settled on a Gladiator brand from Sears and started this part of the install. We ended up with 4 sections in various areas of the garage to house our garden tools, our brooms and our ladders.

While at Sears we also bought some garage cabinets that we are going to use for our motorcycle gear. We had flirted with the idea of having our friend Pete (who built our entertainment center in the TV room) build us something, but this was quicker way of doing it. We bought two 'lockers' and one small cabinet and I built those this past Saturday. However, when I opened the second box up, I discovered the one of the walls was broken in half. And no Sears in the Seattle Metro area has another one. So we returned it and a replacement is on order.

Afterwards, we hung up all of the classic signs that Gary has collected over the years and put them up in the garage. They used to be in our kitchen and tv room, but they have found a nice home out here.

The last thing we did was move the motorcycles (which were stored in our neighbors garage for the past week - Thanks Kim and Mark!) and the two vehicles back into the garage. Everything fits! Whew!

Oh, and while we were finishing up on Saturday, Diego was there and when we started moving the bikes into the garage he asked "What are you doing?" and Gary said "We are moving our motorcycles into the garage". Diego then said "I am too!" and he jumped on his tricycle and came towards our garage as Gary was backing his Nightster in. Diego was laughing and Gary moved forward in time for Diego be facing Gary for the '37th Avenue Stare Down". Luckily I had my camera and caught this cute picture.

Well, it has been about 5 weeks since we last posted something and that is because 99% of the remodel is done. However, we did want to post a few pictures of what has happened since our last post.

First is that Gary's parents came to town the last week of June to attend my last Seattle Men's Chorus show for the season and for Ron to help us with fixing up the new garage with our 'new' workbench. Quotes are around new because although it is a new workbench, we are using our old kitchen cabinets as our workbench in the garage.

Unfortunately, I had to work during the day (aww shucks), so Gary and Ron cleaned out the garage and built the kick plate frames for the cabinets. Additionally, they went to Home Depot and bought a counter for the workbench and had that all installed before I got home. With my help, we installed the upper cabinets and started to position all the tools and stuff. The picture above shows the finished product with the tool chest, table saw, TV and both our Scottish and Bear flags above the bench.

Additionally, we finished the new front deck with a brand new gate that was build by Clyde who built our deck for us. We found a nice patio set for the deck and this is where Gary's mom Carol spent a lot of her time while Ron and Gary worked in the garage. During their visit we also went to a couple of nurseries to look for what kind of plants will work for our yard. We look at a lot of grass and bamboo and found a really nice ceramic pot for the new deck.

Gary and I were trying to think of something that would fit nicely in a corner of the new deck and decided to bring out a swinging couch that we have had for years but has sat in the basement for the past couple of years. It is a nice addition and really completes the deck. As you can see, the new deck is a place that we will spend a lot of time.

Lastly, we installed our new address sign for the top of the driveway. We had out address sand blasted into the rock and then dug a hole and placed this rock into the yard. We also had 5 small boulders delivered and we will place these around the front landscape. That is still a work in progress, and we are looking forward to getting that all done this summer.

Our other project for this summer is to clear out the old garage so that we can lay down a floor coating throughout all three bays in the garage.

Until then, we are heading back into the yard to do some more work.

In our last posting, I mentioned "WOW, two postings in one week!". And that was because the major part of remodeling had ended and Ideal Building had moved onto their next great project. Well, it has been over a month since our last post but we have made some progress in the deck addition to our front yard.

Gary called around to quite of few places to get bids on a deck, some never showed up, others gave a bid but then could not follow through. However, Gary found a small company called Remodelling Specialists in the West Seattle Herald. A one-man outfit run by a guy named Clyde Wear, who's been doing small projects for years.

We are really happy with what he did too. As you can see, Clyde ripped out the existing fencing around the front yard and then built up a deck over the same area leaving the garden exposed near the house. What was the fence has been rebuilt as deck railing and we think it adds a lot to the house.

From the front door, there are two steps that lead up to the deck and eventually we will have a small seating area here so that we can sit and enjoy the wonderful Seattle weather during Spring, Summer and Fall.

As you come down the driveway, the deck welcomes you to our home and will be finished off with a new gate under the arbor. The arbor is the only remaining piece from our original fence that Gary and I built a few years ago. The new gate is being built by Clyde off site and we hope to have it installed in the next week or two. Then we can have the dogs out here with us and not have to worry about them running off.

Also, this is a good time to mentioned that the house next door has sold. Michael put the house up for sale a couple of weeks ago and a couple from North Carolina have bought it and will be moving in on July 5th. Several times while showing the house next door, potential buyers and real estate agents were all thinking (or secretly hoping) it was OUR house that was for sale, not Michaels. (OVER OUR DEAD BODY!) Gary and I will be on our vacation to Upstate New York (for my cousin's wedding) and to places unknown on two rented Harley's - so we will come home to new neighbors. They also have a two year old adopted son named Diego. It should be interesting to have a little kid running around, and Gary is hoping that I can get the whole 'wanting to adopt' thing out of my systems if we have a little kid next door. We'll see...

WOW! Two posts in one week!

With the remodel done, the blog is now for the extra projects that we are working on and to document the interior redecorating... Speaking of the latter, Gary and I started looking at some new furniture for our living room. After visiting several furniture galleries, we stopped by La-Z-Boy and we found the right sofa, chair and ottoman for the living room. We have hung some pictures up and have now arranged everything around the fireplace since it is the focal point of the room.

We also got a leather recliner for the room... FINALLY! I have been wanting a recliner for a long time, although Gary was resisting. But then I found a recliner that Gary likes and it really works in the living room. I look forward to laying back and reading a book with the fireplace warming the room.

The last thing we added to the room is a small desk for my laptop. We got the leaning desk along with the leather chair from Crate and Barrel. It is about time, as I have been sitting at the kitchen bar for a couple of years. And with the new kitchen, it just didn't fit to have my laptop and stuff on the granite. I really like where my laptop is now as it is right by the window and is really comfortable.

On the next post, I will post some pictures of the house with some of the artwork that we have put back up...

I know, I know, there hasn't been a post in two weeks. With the house pretty much done now - the postings are few and far between. However, today the guys we hired to do some landscaping finished the work we hired them to do. That was a bit of an ordeal. After we got used to the integrity and attentiveness of Ideal Building, it was quite shocking to deal with these guys.

We were referred to these guys by our neighbor who used them to build some retaining walls. They are two young guys starting up their business and so we thought we would throw some business their way. And they were cheap!

But as the saying goes 'you get what you pay for'... or even less. I met with the guys and we went over everything that I was visioning for the front yard. They seemed to understand and when they were ready to start, I gave them a deposit for the work. The worked fast and within a couple of days they were 'done'. However on the day they finished up (originally) they asked if I could leave them a check, trusting that the work would be done.

I did, but when I got home, a lot of what we initially talked about had not been done. So I waited for Gary to get home that weekend and then we could talk about it. We were not really wasn't happy with the overall look as the walls looked unfinished, the dirt behind the walls were not leveled up, and our bid did not include cleaning up the ivy that we talked about or laying down bark. So I asked them to come back out we discussed the changes.

This time we put everything down on paper... and they still managed to screw up. After being efficient with the original project, they dragged their feet to finish up. Then yesterday they promised to be out at 11am to finish up with the changes. By 2:30p they still hadn't showed. After talking to them and they said they would be out by 3:30pm, I got another call around 2:45pm saying that they would rather come today and finish everything up. So we agreed (although Gary was ready to fire them)...

Today, they showed up early and we discussed what we wanted to be done today. Before we left on our 140 miles motorcycle ride, they were 'finishing up' for the day and wanted us to settle up with the bill. Because we were not going to be here when they were done, Gary was reluctant to give them a check considering the problems we had the last time around. Finally, we came to an agreed and when we returned home at 6pm - the yard was done... They forgot to do one thing and instead of having them come back - I went ahead and finished up what would have taken them 5 minutes to do.

The three pictures on this post is what the front yard looks like right now. We will be adding some plants and flowers and then planting a lot of ivy to cover what was pulled back during the remodel.

Man, do we miss Robert, Bill and the guys at Ideal Building.

Well, since the last posting - we have finished up the remodel. The soap dish and mirror for the shower were installed and with that - the project that we started with a conversation with Robert and Bill in August of 2006 has now come to a close.

Gary and I spent some time placing our collection of Big Sky Bears in the new living room. For years, these bears have been a fixture in our TV Room, but now they really fit in this room. As you can kinda tell from this picture (if you click on it to enlarge it) - we have a bear climbing up the window to get a better view of the room, a bear trying to climb up to the mantle, a bear relaxing on the mantle, a couple of bears on the hearth and then in the foreground is another bear welcoming you into the living room.

Outside - we contracted a couple of guys who did some landscaping work for our neighbor to clean up the yard (as we have months of construction, rolled up ivy and left over rocks and asphalt scattered throughout. They are currently working on carving a new pathway from Kim and Mark's yard up to our driveway. This time around, I have had them lay landscaping bricks to act as steps up the hill. This will be safer for the neighbors as we often are traveling from one house to another down this pathway called "Barbary Lane".

Additionally, they have built two small landscaping walls to provide separation in the steep front yard. They have laid some topsoil down, and I think I am going to have them put a layer of bark mulch over it. Finally, they will prune up some of our oak trees and clean up the yard. This should all be done this week.

After this - we have two projects left that we will be working on. A new patio/deck just outside the front door and then painting and building up the workbench in the new garage. Once we find some new furniture for the living room, we will be having an Open House for all our friends to see the house.

See you soon!

The painters have returned and finished repainting the living room. Over the last week, Gary and I worked with Robert with Ideal Building to find a color that would really work against the fireplace and the inspiration comes from a placemat that Robert provided. Yes, a placemat. Inspiration can come from all different places. When we originally moved into the house the kitchen and tv room were painted the colors of a Starbucks. Gary and I actually took a color wheel and compared colors at the Starbucks in West Seattle at Fauntleroy and California. So, we will always know that the green, tan and now chocolate was inspired from a dinner placemat.

As you can see from the picture, the new chocolate color has some plum colors in it and it really matches some of the rocks from the fireplace. The fireplace also now POPS off the wall, as before it just kinda blended in.

Outside of the paint, the rest of the trim work went up in the living room, including the trim caps on both the passthrough window between the TV room and living room and the half wall that separates the dining room and living room.

Upstairs, the last of the trim work was installed above the granite backsplash and we expect the soap holder and shaving mirror will be installed later today. With those things done - the project is coming to a close. I cannot believe that we have reached that point. But I am sure Robert and the guys at Ideal Building are tired of us and excited to move onto their next project... ;-)