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Burning the midnight oil.

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by the Artist

The cabinet shop (where I work on my painted furniture in preparation for my May 7th sale) is off limits right now. The Carpenter has a massive window painting project going. All of the work tables are being used. Including "my" table. My furniture is covered up and not easy to get to. So I wait. And I watch.

It's been intense prep for the new windows for the Modern Farmhouse http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/ Project. He is using a paint sprayer. It works great, once everything is masked off. Then it's almost like flying with a tailwind. 

So he's back to long work days right now. During the day he runs many errands, spends time project managing at the job site, and meets with potential customers in the evening (so far two meetings this week). We're also running an ad for a new carpenter so he's handling those contacts. He ends his days in the shop painting till very late. He has a plan for painting the windows here and then transporting them as they are needed to the project. This will ensure they stay nice and safe. ...

(I started this post last night with intention to finish this morning. The Carpenter told me he wrote a post late last evening ..it came into my email at 1:50 AM! It made me smile as I read it. We wrote about the exact same subjects between this post and the previous! Great minds and married a long time people do think alike!)

from the Carpenter....

Better late then never! To all those wonderful birthday wishes from you that sent them, I say a big thank you! I really just checked in to the Facebook page right now and saw them. Good thing the Artist has a FB presence because I don’t. So again, thanks, oh and remember…Bobs your Uncle! (He’s my “Unca” too)

We continue to be as busy as we have been in a long time. Still trying to balance the employee search thing. We will see what happens. In the mean time, one of my guys is still on vacation enjoying the Arizona sun, another is getting ready to get married in 3 weeks. Man, my nephew getting married….The Artist told me I was getting old earlier tonight, I guess so, but I just finished another 16 hour day. Can an old guy do that? No way!

Yep, I’m in the shop late again. We are painting all the windows for the Modern Farmhouse Project ahead of time. It is very involved to do it correctly. We have stripped off all the hardware and weather stripping that is removable. Then we masked off with tape and masking paper. Monday night I was out there till 2am, tonight 1am. Its one of those things that when you get in the zone, its hard to stop and the hours slip by and before you know it it gets late. It’s a good thing my shop is now on the property where we live. Many years ago when we had our full time cabinetmaking and furniture building business, along with the remodeling, many many nights I would be there till midnight or later and then have to drive home about 18 miles. Not fun. Now I can just walk about 40 feet to the back door.

Tonight when I wrapped up, I went to the back yard and sat on a rock wall. Even though it was dark, I could still see out into our marsh. I just sat for a few minutes taking it in. Even in winter, well almost spring now, the marsh is alive. Geese were honking on the pond island; there were a couple of coyotes out there yipping at something, and two rabbits jumped out of the pile of firewood that is waiting for me to split. I have spent hours and hours over the last 18 years just enjoying what God has given us in the beautiful property we own. Its an acre and a half of work at times, but an acre and a half of "Heaven on Earth" most of the time.

Do you know what "Peepers" are? I can’t wait to announce to the Artist some night coming up very soon….The peepers are back! You will have to ask her, and I guarantee when you do, she will smile.

The Artist... I wrote about "Peepers" in the previous post. :)

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The story outside my kitchen window.

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by the Artist

I looked outside my kitchen window today and it struck me... how many times I've viewed the changing seasons of a marsh from that window.

Right now it wears a coat of brown and gold with some patches of white. In just a few weeks it will start to wake up. Tiny tiny blades of grass will start poking up through last season's gold. You won't even see the green unless you look close. Awakening blade by blade, leaf by leaf.

The first sign of spring for me has always been the spring "peepers". The Carpenter always announces to me when he hears those little frogs on that first balmy spring night. My Grandfather called them "peepers". 

As the temps warm the green grows and soon enough the marsh wears a fresh coat of green. By the 4th of July the marsh grass is nearly 5 feet tall. Summer storms create swirly flatten paths of grass. Almost like the wind left footprints in the grass while we slept.

Full summer the marsh wears a mature green. It is lush. life. 

By early fall the grass has seeded, the cattails have lifted their heads high. The green starts dying back. It shortens. The marsh takes on hints of gold. The fog hangs over.

By November it wears its golden coat again. The "peepers" have started their long winter's nap.

December's snows flatten the landscape. It wears its coat of white. Pheasants fly over and the deer make their winter trails. Another cycle is complete. 

I've watched this "story" for 19 seasons. All from my kitchen window. The same kitchen window that we moved to the back of the house so I could look out the window at the beautiful marsh as I worked in the kitchen. It was worth moving the window. It was worth moving the kitchen! Well maybe the Carpenter wouldn't agree.

 

late winter, early spring, summer, fall and winter.

Building a Dream.

by the Artist

We made it to print! Our local community magazine wrote an article about Applewood in their March 2016 issue. I wrote about the process in an earlier blog post you can check out here. http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/carpenterandtheartist-blog/?offset=1453426551889 I was excited but dreading just a bit the article as we had no control over content or photos. (Once an art director always an art director) It turned out pretty well. There was one bump in the road. They got our website address wrong. Maybe that is a little more then a bump!

Here is the link to the on-line version. http://whitebearlakemag.com/issue/march-2016-white-bear-lake-magazine. This link will take you to a "virtual" magazine where you can click through the entire magazine page by page. Click on March 2016 White Bear Lake Digital Edition. Or head here http://whitebearlakemag.com/building-dream to read just our article. Watch for a photo of me and the Carpenter in the top photo area that slides. Our article is called "Building a Dream".

Having an article written about us was a dream.

Don't wake me up!

It's all about the flash[ing]

by the Carpenter

It’s the flashing I tell ya!

Ok, I know I have talked about this before but it ticks me off so much its worth another post.

We have been on several projects over the years when we have had to give the homeowner news they don’t want to hear. The news is we have found significant rot and decay in a major structural component of their home. It happened again this week.

We have been on the stucco removal stage of our project - Modern Farmhouse- http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/for a couple of weeks now and its been going pretty smoothly. Until this week. We uncovered two major areas of rot that had to be repaired. These were expensive repairs– increased labor and the cost of additional materials. Not happy news for our homeowner.

What ticks me off is this. Incorporating one simple piece of material could have prevented the added work on this project and others we have had. It’s a $10 piece of material http://www.dictionaryofconstruction.com/definition/flashing.html and when installed correctly would have stopped all these problems.

Its called flashing! Whether its window, dormer, door, or kick-out flashing, they all do the same thing. They all divert water away from vulnerable areas of your home. When installed properly, they will protect your home for years and years.

Here is another project we did with major rot damage due to lack of flashing. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.378883805532138.94725.342655239154995&type=3

What ticks me off more is how many carpenters, siders, and roofers have no idea as to what they are doing. They do their thing and then they are gone and then the problems don’t show up for years. When the problems do show up, the repairs can be extremely expensive.

If you are having work done on your home... remember to ask if they have added the appropriate flashing. Just that one inquiry will save you or the future owner of your home a boatload of stress and money.

 


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A good idea.

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by the Artist

While the Carpenter deals with the mechanics and the ordering and all the details of our current large project- The Modern Farmhouse- I've been assisting with design decisions when needed. It's been fun to work with the homeowners as they work through the many decisions that are needed to be made for the scope of this project. I am basically "on call" ready to lend a listening ear or do some research for materials.

I think.. no I know that this can be overwhelming with the amount of decisions that come along. Even if you have a good sense of design and know what you like and what you don't like.. it still can be taxing. 

I usually set up a secret board on Pinterest and an Ideabook on Houzz.com. Then send out the invitations to start sharing and gathering styles– flooring, trim, lighting, tile etc. It's collaborative and I like that. I work mostly alone these days.. I no longer have co-workers to bounce ideas off of.. so boards and books and collaborations scratch that itch. I also work on keeping up with the latest housing design trends. Well that is the easy part as I tend to chase shiny objects. Unfortunately my ever changing design perspective has made the Carpenter crazy at times! Well and me too. just alittle.

Why am I sharing this? For those of you that might need that type of help. Perhaps you are leaning towards calling that other builder. Maybe we would be a good fit if you know you need design help, that you know it kind of makes you crazy, and to even think about it makes you break out in a cold sweat. My design assistance for whatever question or decision you may have or will encounter during the entire length of the project is included in the project. No extra cost or fee. It's part of the deal.

And that's a pretty good deal.

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Circling back.

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by the Artist

I seem to be on a white theme these days. Snow and now the resurgence of white in home design. 18 years ago when we renovated our home I embraced white. It seemed appropriate for an East Coast style Cape Cod. We picked white siding and I painted the entire interior "Floral White". That was a lot of white. But it was so refreshing after looking at a dark brown exterior, gray gutted interior and most of all.. old house dirt and debris. It was one dirty dirty project.

We moved into our "brand new to us" pristinely white home. Not only were the walls white but all the doors, millwork and cabinetry and countertops wore white. It was a good choice till I got bit by the color bug. It was a nasty color bug because it left me weakened with the inability to make a single color decision. We had paint swatches of color all over the house. I think I had the Carpenter buy 10 cans of "gold" for the living room alone. I could not decide exactly which gold would be the perfect gold. And it had to be perfect. 

I got bit by that pesky bug at my friend's beautiful new home. She painted it in rich bold colors. Stepping into her home was like stepping into a bowl of Beef Bourguignon. My house was like stepping into a bowl of whipped cream. 

My main stumbling block to making a decision was my very own color rule. Colors are either gray based (rich yet subdued with a hint of gray) or clear based (pure bright color). You could not mix gray based and bright colors in one palatte. (this was my rule at the time) Which did I want? Which would be best for my little Cape Cod? Oh it was awful. Indecision is awful. It's like you just can't pull yourself out of the indecision pit. It has slippery walls and no ladder.

Eventually I broke through and chose a yellow for the kitchen. It was intense. I remember walking outside and looking in the window and thinking as the Carpenter was up on a ladder slaving away... okay that is just a might too too yellow. I lived with it. Never loved it. Add here... that poor long suffering carpenter.

Then I painted the kitchen a historical color cream. Ben Moore Waterbury Cream. Toned down that intense yellow. Better.

Then we moved out to live in one of the spec homes we built to stage it in hopes of finding a buyer. (BTW I was able to pick out the entire spec homes interior color palette in about 15 minutes!) During the time we lived at the spec home we painted the Cape the exact same color palette. It wasn't my first choice but I had to make a decision.

A year ago we were at the Carpenter's cousin's house. His wife has a great sense of design. She painted her living room pure white. I remember thinking... wow white. Why would she paint a room white? A year later... I get it. She was ahead of the trend. She was on point. And she knew to balance her white rooms with rooms of rich bold color. 

I've come full circle. They say what goes around comes around. Well white has returned. But it's an improved version of white. I've been highly influenced by the designer and HGTV host Joanna Gaines style https://magnoliamarket.com/. Just take a look and you will understand.

I'm redoing my home to embrace this new white. After the wedding flowers I'm doing for my nephew's upcoming spring wedding, after my furniture sale http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/a-painted-apple/

After. 

And I do love whipping cream.

 

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Bitter and stucco.

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by the Artist

It's been a bitter week. Cold. Wind. Icy sun. And of course our crew is outside! The Carpenter has a temperature no work cut-off of -25 degrees below zero. We haven't hit that wind chill this week but I'm betting it's been darn near close! 

Our crew has put in full days despite the cold on our latest project the "Modern Farmhouse". It's been a busy week starting with exterior stucco removal. I stopped by one day and was surprised to see how neatly it is removed. They were sawing out a grid pattern and prying the sections off. I was told that is to protect the material below the stucco. You don't want to just wack away at it! It's demo but it's dignified demo! I can hear the Carpenter laughing now!

Already this first week a dumpster of stucco was taken away (here's a little fact- you can't rent a large dumpster to dispose of stucco.. only the smallest size because of how heavy the load would be if a large dumpster was used). Just removing that material has made a world of difference to the look of the home. For the size of the project it was decided that a once a week meeting with the Carpenter and the homeowners was in order. A good face-to-face time to discuss the progress of the project, voice any concerns and address any questions. I think this is a good idea. Once a project gets going, there is a lot of commotion, momentum, noise, equipment, people. It helps to stop and be in the moment and take stock.

Despite what Mother Nature threw our way.. we're off to a good start! And after months and years of planning for the homeowners and more recently us... it's a fine place to be!

 

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A white start.

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by the Artist

We started a project yesterday that was a year in the making. We dreamed about this project, anticipated this project and worked hard for this project. We were ready to go. Plans finalized, budget settled, inspections made, engineers made happy, dumpster and windows ordered. The stars were perfectly lined up. As close to perfect as possible.

Mother Nature had other plans. Blizzard. Yep.. it snowed and snowed and snowed the day before the official start. Our first storm of the season. The Carpenter was tense. Not only was he starting a significant project.. but it was snowing sled dogs. He kept staring out the window as the wind and snow blustered by at a severe slant.

Not only did he have to make a decision about when and if to start... but now had the added task to get the job site cleared before the crew could start. He always clears the snow off his sites.. that is very important to him. But... first he had to get on the tractor and clear out Applewood headquarters. So late into the evening he pushed and scooped white and worried. 

But like the mailman.. not much stops the Applewood crew or the Carpenter. At 9 AM the project started! Shovels and snowblower in hand the crew removed the snow and started demo. 

Follow the story of this home as it begins it's "Second Act" on this blog and our Facebook page. 

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A beautiful mess.

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by the Artist

Last night the Carpenter walked into the room... he said... "how bad do I look?" I looked at him. He was covered in white globs. I am used to him "wearing" whatever he is working with- paint, sheetrock mud, saw dust, glue. Even if he is actually NOT hands on... he manages to connect with whatever substance is his general vicinity. My laundry effort is sometimes monumental. 

Then I asked... "okay.. now what happened?" He said.. "well I was exploring a new technique to touch up ceiling texture with the goal being to not have to re-texture an entire ceiling." This involved a plastic water bottle and an air compressor. 

He turned the compressor on and sheetrock mud shot out of the bottle and landed on the Carpenter and the ceiling and the front of the shop cabinets and many, many other places. I guess it was quite spectacular. And quite funny. Sorry I missed it. After a quick visit to the shop I've mandated a thorough clean-up.

 

 

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Don't walk on that floor!

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Monday morning I realized I needed to stop over at our Floral Dr project. That is the "honey do" project we are finishing up which I wrote about on my January 7th post "Cross that off your list!". http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/carpenterandtheartist-blog/. I had a ton of things to do but I knew I had to go shoot some pics of the project.

It was a good day to stop. They were just starting to install the hickory wood floor. I have never seen a wood floor installed. Now I know why they are more expensive. It's major prep before the first piece is stapled down!

To start.. the wood needs to be delivered and sit stacked in the environment where it is to be installed for at least a week. You can see in the photo below how it was stacked to acclimate... even that is interesting!

Then each and every piece must be placed so no end seams line up. This is called "racking" a floor. And each piece comes at random lengths from the supplier. It's a lot of bending over and trying sizes. I think I'd lose my mind! Not to mention my back.

After a few rows are laid in place and prepared... then the stapling can start. Each piece is moved forward and fitted into position. Piece by piece. A special tool is used called a wood flooring stapler. 

After all the wood is installed then it gets sanded, seams get filled with wood filler, sanded again, then "water popped" (a light coating of water so stain goes on more evenly), stained, then two coats of polyurethane. Welcome beautiful wood floor!

I had no idea. I will never look at a custom wood floor the same again. I might not ever want my own custom wood floor.. I might not allow anyone to walk on it! And certainly not little muddy puppy paws.