Christopher Prall

We finally got a approval from our HOA to build the privacy trellis (it only took them 1 month!). This project was going to be the most labor intensive and challenging one. To complete this project, I would have to:
- Pick up: 30 1x5/4x8 treated deck wood, 2 4x4x10 treated wood, 2 2x4x12 treated wood, and 2 lbs of deck screws
- Dig a 12 foot trench, 18 inches deep, and 2 30 inch deep holes for the posts
- Assemble the trellis and make the planks angled
- Recruit people to help me move the trellis the proper location
- Secure the trellis

Work began on Thursday evening when I went and purchased the materials. I then started Friday late afternoon, assembling the trellis and digging the trench. I worked all Saturday morning to complete the trellis assembly and finish the trench hole. I was able to walk around my neighborhood and recruited 6 people to help me haul the trellis to the back and place in the trench (it was a beast to move!).

All in all, the project was a great success. I'm really happy with the final product, even happier still that it's done! My body is physically exhausted from all the work I had put in to finish this in one and half days.

Some lessons learned (really more reminders to myself):
- Measure Twice, Cut Once. We hear it all the time, but have to remind ourselves to do this. The end posts were 3 inches shorter than wanted them to be because I did not take into account the 2x4 horizontal framing.
- Counter Sink, Then Drill. You'll see on the first set of counter sinks, I made a mess of it because I drilled the holes first, so the guide was bouncing everywhere when I tried to drill the countersink.
- Not all planks are created equal. You'll see in the pics what I mean here.
- Don't Assume. I had a certain method by which I was putting the angle on the board. I assumed that same method would work when I secured the other side. Not so much. I ended up being about an inch off by the time I got to the 10th board. I had redo them.

Enjoy the pics!

2008.04.12 - Privacy Trellis

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To finish up the work on the yard, I had a lot mulching and bed making still to make. I took yesterday off to do all of this.

2008.04.02 - Mulching and Bed Making

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For the summer, there are 3 major projects for the backyard:
- Bordering the hill
- Mulching the hill
- Building a privacy trellis

Today was the bordering of the hill. We decided to use railroad ties to accomplish this - it gives a great rustic look and they are very sturdy.
Unfortunately, the camera was not charged today so I could not take pictures of the 'Before' and 'During' work. Specifically, pictures of:
- The truck loaded down with 7 railroad ties
- How I marked the border
- The shoveling to level the ground
- Chuckie and I breaking our backs to move these bastards

Here are the pictures of the final product. Looks really good and I am very pleased with the results.

BTW, according to my calculations, and assuming all the ties were made of oak (which they usually are), each tie weighed about 160 lbs.

Posted by Christopher Prall at 09:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I had yesterday off, so I decided to complete one of our house projects - building a folding workbench in the garage. I made most of comments in the pictures, so please view the pictures for details.

2008.02.18 - Workbench Project

I have an open issue with the table design, so I'm looking for input here. To secure the legs in place, I am using a 5" 3/8" lag screw in each leg, screwed in from the top, through the table, into the leg. The pro is that it secures the leg - the con is that I have to screw and unscrew it every time. Though it's not the end of the world, it's as easy as just dropping down the table.

I would rather not use the screws, but I still need a way to secure the legs in place. I am open to ideas. Bring them on!

Posted by Christopher Prall at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

As many of you know, I enjoy to cook. Well, with cooking comes a lot of kitchen smells - some good, some bad, some strong. Being that our house has a very open floor layout, the smells go everywhere, and we really don't want to smell curry or garlic for days in the house! So began the exploration of addressing the range hood problem.

We looked at 2 options:
1) Converting the current range hood from a recirculating hood to a exhaust range hood
2) Replace the current over-the-stove microwave range hood with a over the stove range hood to exhaust outside

After doing much reading online, reviews on Consumer Report, and weighing the pro's and con's of replacing the current range hood (better exhaust, loss of microwave and potentially counter space, etc.), we opted to do the conversion.

I will first say that this project was not particularly difficult, but it required significant planning because of a few things:
1) I was about to make a permanent hole in my house. No do-over on that!
2) There conveniently was a 2x4 right where I wanted to cut out the holes
3) The air duct cap was not going to be flush with the outside vinyl siding
4) Required me manufacturing a custom air duct system
5) I was about to make a permanent hole in my house. Yeah, I said it twice

The project took the weekend, over a course of 2 days. I could have completed it one day, but I didn't start until the Saturday afternoon and work had to cease after it got dark. I would say, all in all, trips to Lowes and all, it probably took me 9 - 10 hours. I spent the majority of the time on manufacturing the air duct, making trips back and forth to Lowes, and planning. The actual 'work' part didn't take that long - perhaps 2 - 3 hours in all.

I was quite proud with my custom work on the air duct. Unfortunately, I did not think of taking pictures of the project until Sunday, so you don't see the whole construction of the air duct, but trust me, damn Case engineering education at work there.

Enjoy!

2008.02.09 - Range Hood Venting Project

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So, the second project was kind of unscheduled. Do you know how much damage an 1/8" drill bit can do? Well, it turns out it can do a lot.
After having a very productive day of organizing the garage and doing some outdoor work, I tasked myself to put a simple eye hook in the shower wall to hold the shower caddy from slipping forward off the shower head. Simple, straightforward fix. As I was drilling the hole, the bit slipped into the wall much faster than I expected and went through quickly, then hit 'something else' and continued. Deep down inside, I already knew what happened, but I pretended that nothing happened at all. I continued by screwing in the hook, mounting the caddy, and turning on the shower. The caddy worked great, the waterfall inside the wall, did not. When I turned on the shower, you could hear water splashing inside the wall and beading starting on the top edge of the shower unit. Two minutes later, there was water coming out from the baseboards. Yup, as you might have already guessed, I hit the shower pipe.

So began the 2nd project - painting and upgrading the bathroom hardware. You'll see in the pictures, the mess I had to make to fix the 1/8" hole in the pipe. But, the end results are fantastic. I think the bathroom looks great and I suppose I was glad I got the 'push' to move the project up.

BEFORE (THE DAMAGE) . . .

2006.12.15 - Project #2, Fixing the Shower Pipe and Painting the Bathroom

AFTER . . .

2007.01.07 - Bathroom Project Results

Posted by Christopher Prall at 08:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

It was just a matter of time before we started doing some house improvement projects. Actually, two projects started about the same time due to a plumbing error on my part (posting shortly).

We first decided to talk the easier project, painting the foyer. Currently, the whole house is painted this off white eggshell color, aka a canvas ready to be painted and personalized.

Attached are the before and after pictures of the project.

Before . . .

2007.01.02 - Foyer Project - BEFORE

After . . .

2007.01.02 - Foyer Project - AFTER

Posted by Christopher Prall at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)