Rookie Homeowner

This picture was taken on Saturday, and since then, I've moved on to my third and final coat. I chose a clear finish by Zar because I like the wood and the people at Wheeler's Paints tell me it's the best. I chose a satin finish because it hides the imperfections in the wood. I also wanted satin because I have lots of light in the kitchen and I didn't want a glare off everything.

My folks are making a much anticipated trip to see me this weekend, so the goal is to have the cabinetry ready to be installed. If I can lay the groundwork for the walls before they get here, the kitchen will be ready for a floor and a countertop-- and then the appliances. And then I'll finally have a working kitchen.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 1:02 PM

Thanks to my friend Chet, I have an air compressor to use while varnishing the cabinetry. I chose varnish rather than the easier to apply urethane because my friends Tom Mitchell and Jerry Wilson tell me it offers a better finish. Sure, it's toxic to my lungs (I have a respirator) and it's more difficult to apply, but I want the best.

I had to sweep my garage really well and then drape up plastic so that the residual dirt didn't sneak into the finish.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 12:59 PM

This is how you'd see the yard if you approached from the stairs. There's a nice green plant (I think it's called a euphonymous) that blocks sight of the meter, and a nice hosta along the way. Bryan planted some nice ornamental grasses by the air conditioner too (not too close...) so next year, you won't see the big behemoth.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 10:04 AM

What do you do with extra field stone? You call Bryan Kinney and have him conjure up a landscape dreamland. Here, you see how he built a couple features that accent the yard and take your eyes away from the ugly telephone pole.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 10:01 AM

The Vinyly windows look good. Sure, they don't look medival like the old ones, but they have LoE glass, which cuts down on the UV rays coming in the house and they insulate really well. Thanks goes to my friend Lube for coming over on his own time to install and then in a later trip, trim out the windows with his bad-ass aluminum bending machine.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:59 AM

My old windows were single pane, lead-framed windows. They might look cool, but they sure suck. They don't insulate against sound or weather and they're so heavy that they crush the wood frame. So for a mere hundred dollars and change, I ordered new vinyl replacement windows from Home Depot.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:54 AM

No other single improvement has elevated my home's status to that of castle quicker than this window. There's nothing like opening a window after a morning constitutional.

On the left is my friend Lube. He does these things for a living, so it's all second nature. I'm glad he was around for this one... half way through installation, it started pouring rain. And then we had a hard time shimming and tightening the gaps.... Ah, windows. Such simple things, yet so many variables to make installation difficult...

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:48 AM

Bryan's been a great example of what's feasible with just two hands. This guy can haul rock, build walls, remove stumps and create beautiful outdoor spaces like nobody I've seen. Without his help, Castle Browneskull would be merely a feifdom.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:43 AM

They just won't go away. Just kidding... this is Traci from Kinney-Hollar Landscaping, and Jason of 38thstreet.blogspot.com fame, bumming in my front yard.

But more importantly, my wall is finished! We plan to pull down the sod to cover the bare dirt, and the concrete will come soon. But for the most part, it's finished! Now I won't get hit pulling out of the drive on to the busy street.

Actually, what I'd really like to do is shut down two of the four lanes, designating two as bus/bike lanes... But that's a whole 'nother blog.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:42 AM

One stone at a time, carefully placed and backfilled with gravel, makes a wall. The extra dirt that needed removed was taken to my backyard for other landscaping use.

Doesn't it look pretty?

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:39 AM

This is actually my neighbor's turnaround. but since we're a duplex, he wanted it to mirror mine. The "shark bite," as his son affectionately calls it, has been sitting idle for about 5 months now. The stone pictured here is just waiting to be assembled, courtesy of Kinney-Hollar Lanscaping.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:37 AM

Here's Bryan lifting the bed of the truck that we used to haul 6 tons of stone from a woman's back yard to my front yard. What a score! Thanks Lisa!

Bryan and I, along with Traci and PaperJam, drove out to the South Hills to dismantle a retaining wall. We came back with a bed full of "field stone." It's called that because this is the stone you find in Pennsylvania fields. Go figure.

# posted by Michael Browne @ 9:35 AM