A few straggling projects

We are still not done all the projects we wanted to get done by the end of the summer, but we are still working on things. We had to order new jambs for all the interior doors and have them removed and rehung. This was due to our prior contractor telling me to order the wrong size jambs, admitting his error and then saying "tough luck." Nice. Anyway, the job is done and all the interior doors function well, close and lock and look great.

Using our new cooktop

Today I gave our new cooktop a good test by making pancakes. The left side of the cooktop can be converted to a heavy flat griddle, a grill or two burners. I ordered the griddle from Sears appliance parts and tested it today. For years, I've tried to make pancakes and they never came out very good. I always thought it was me, and that maybe it took a lot of tries to get it right. I was pleased to find out that with the right equipment, my pancakes came out great! It wasn't me after all, it was my equipment! The pancakes were yummy, and C was pleased.

Final piece of fencing done

The last piece of fencing got done this week. Here is a picture, but (intentionally) the fence is really hard to see. It is green vinyl coated chain link, and runs behind the tall ficus hedge on the side of our yard. Chain link isn't the most stylish thing in the world, but after talking to multiple contractors, landscapers and fence companies, nobody had any other option. As the hedge grows, the fence should become less and less visible.

Less activity this week

The gates are done. It feels so nice to have them up. I wasn't all that concerned about getting them, but now that they are up it is great. It is so nice to know that someone on the street can't walk by our windows or into our backyard. It feels much more private, and more like a retreat. Nobody can get past the front of the property without our permission.

Here is the driveway gate. I love this paint color, and I love the way it goes with the natural redwood. The landscaping is going to have lots of red in it as well. That's the reason I wanted the house and roof in shades of tan, brown, rust, etc.



Here is a close-up shot.


Here is the gate on the side walkway.


This nice set of wooden steps replaces the nasty, filthy, cracked concrete ones that were here before. There is a big trap door with enough space for someone to work on the meter, which was the main reason we wanted to replace the steps.





The last phase of the yard is to put a chain link fence behind the hedge, which the fence company is getting ready to do. While there is much more to do, not much will be happening due to the fact that I've started full-time graduate school which requires me to be in class or training 40 hours per week with almost no days off except breaks. Outside of that, I have about another 40 hours a week of reading, papers and projects. It is really not ideal to be in a program like this with a house that is still really chaotic. I don't even have decent desk space to work at. I already deferred once due to massive house issues and can't defer again.

Needless to say, blog posts will be slow.