Archive for June, 2007

The update you’ve been waiting for…

Update: I just ordered our cork floors. They should be on their way in a week or two!
Here’s the latest slideshow from the Dellwood House (Click on the picture).

Here’s where we are:

Lead boots have been attached to the roof over the new plumbing vents.
The gas line has been installed with a tap for an [...]

Green lawns in Florida = ridiculous?

I read a story on Treehugger that showed a pretty stark image of where we’re at with our water conditions at the moment.
While many people feel it’s nice to have a big lawn but is it really worthwhile, cost effective, or even necessary?
Having a lawn: Pros

Provides a soft surface you can walk on.
Looks pretty.
Keeps dirt [...]

Brilliant! ideas

Updated with the link to the Laurey PerfectMount guide.
In a previous post I mentioned that I like to read other home-improvement blogs. To be totally honest I have to admit that it’s about all that I read at this point (except for some photography blogs).
There are just too many good ideas out there. When [...]

House-related blogs, forums, and sites

When you’re the [adventurous/cheap/masochistic/stupid] type of person who embarks on a custom home building/remodeling project you look for other people going through a similar experience. The Blog Revolution has been great for connecting do-it-yourselfers with each other, at least over the Internet.
I check the following blogs, forums, and sites quite frequently.
For help, inspiration, design ideas, [...]

New sink ideas + This is not a home stereo blog: Part 2

The Bathroom Sink
The bathroom sink issue may have been solved. It’s not nearly as beautiful or elegant a piece as the Lacava one.
What do you think — two IKEA kitchen sink cabinets surrounding a center cabinet with drawers?
With a nice white kick plate, a custom Caesarstone countertop and some undermounted sinks we’ll have a decent [...]

This is not a home stereo blog

But I’m going to use this post to compare different home theater in-wall speaker and A/V receiver options.
Speakers

Basically we need a good-sounding, reasonable cost, and reliable set of speakers for the studio/presentation room. I’m not sure what the configuration will be, but I think we’ll end up going with something medium-end with a [...]

The cost of going green: Insulation edition

So here are our options for insulating the house:

Fiberglass batts. Basically the standard Pink Panther Owens Corning insulation.
Spray-in foam. All the rage in the home-building industry.
Recycled cotton insulation. All the rage in the green home-building industry.

As you can imagine, the greenest option (cotton) is the most expensive, the laziest option (spray-in) may be even more, [...]

Wiring the studio/presentation room

There’s a lot left to be figured out for the studio. As I sit here I’m almost stricken by a Tony Soprano-esque panic attack when I ask myself: “Where do I start?”
First thing is to get some 14/2 or 14/4 wires. I also need to make a decision on in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, like today!
Here’s [...]

Attic flooring

After sweating it out in the attic on Sunday I remembered a product I had seen somewhere when I was searching for attic stairs: Attic Dek.

They are a little pricey at $45 for an 8-pack of 16×16″ panels, but they seem to look and work a lot better than plywood!
Amazon link here.




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