Yep, moved to the Klopeks, now for renovations!

[ck80]

So I haven't given much for updates in almost a week. Things have been busy though, spent most of a day just unloading all the tile, then another day just doing yard work and general upkeep.

Although the carpets/pad were gone we needed to first scrape the floors and then do a light grind/surface both to make a nice place for adhesion bite but more importantly to remove traces of the glue used to hold the carpet pads in places:



So, all the concrete was cleaned and sanded, ready for install. All the other rooms should go quicker now too since the slate is bare so to speak.

Then we get to the last two days, bane of my existence lately.... the master bedroom. My general philosophy is happy wife, happy life. In this case it was happy wife, misery for me for 2+ days.

Turns out the 24x24 marble she wanted so badly in addition to being heavy, and, needing hand mix mortar, well... it wasn't quite 24x24. More like 23 21/32" x 23 5/8".... so..... (insert @%$^$& word here... or maybe a few of them.)

The only good news on that was originally I expected to need to cut about 3" off the width, and now, I have a grouted edge on the perimeter of the room. After mental cursing and trimming the tiles to uniformity I was able to set a pattern.

Knowing I'd need to hand mix, and, being about 100* outside this week where I'd mix said cloudy fog of mortar till it was thoroughly wet, I didn't want to burn out a drill of mine.

Enter harbor freight. This week they had 20% off tools, and, one of those free no-purchase-required flashlight led things going on. Bought the cheapest drill they had, was about $13. I'm on our third one, exchanged every time no hassle 😆

So, I've got one full sized tile to go, and 6 half tiles to cut. Gave up for today because I don't want to run the stone saw outside at 830 at night, there's kids in the neighborhood. I've got about 45 minutes of cutting stones that'll be different sizes each to go, then the sealing, then the grouting. Those steps will be quick, once I get to them.

For now, here we stand:

 

[Texas82GP]

So I haven't given much for updates in almost a week. Things have been busy though, spent most of a day just unloading all the tile, then another day just doing yard work and general upkeep.

Although the carpets/pad were gone we needed to first scrape the floors and then do a light grind/surface both to make a nice place for adhesion bite but more importantly to remove traces of the glue used to hold the carpet pads in places:

View attachment 200697

So, all the concrete was cleaned and sanded, ready for install. All the other rooms should go quicker now too since the slate is bare so to speak.

Then we get to the last two days, bane of my existence lately.... the master bedroom. My general philosophy is happy wife, happy life. In this case it was happy wife, misery for me for 2+ days.

Turns out the 24x24 marble she wanted so badly in addition to being heavy, and, needing hand mix mortar, well... it wasn't quite 24x24. More like 23 21/32" x 23 5/8".... so..... (insert @%$^$& word here... or maybe a few of them.)

The only good news on that was originally I expected to need to cut about 3" off the width, and now, I have a grouted edge on the perimeter of the room. After mental cursing and trimming the tiles to uniformity I was able to set a pattern.

Knowing I'd need to hand mix, and, being about 100* outside this week where I'd mix said cloudy fog of mortar till it was thoroughly wet, I didn't want to burn out a drill of mine.

Enter harbor freight. This week they had 20% off tools, and, one of those free no-purchase-required flashlight led things going on. Bought the cheapest drill they had, was about $13. I'm on our third one, exchanged every time no hassle 😆

So, I've got one full sized tile to go, and 6 half tiles to cut. Gave up for today because I don't want to run the stone saw outside at 830 at night, there's kids in the neighborhood. I've got about 45 minutes of cutting stones that'll be different sizes each to go, then the sealing, then the grouting. Those steps will be quick, once I get to them.

For now, here we stand:

View attachment 200700

Looks great!

 

[ck80]

Looks great!

Thanks! It's been a lot of hard work, but, I'm fairly happy with how it's coming out. Still, I expected something better, but, I'm tough on myself with expectations for any project.

I *wanted* to do an inlaid design, had to abandon that one because of all the time wasted getting the stones trimmed to a usable uniform size. I had to compromise and give it up for this, just a simple grain-matched layout- somewhat randomized since we werent getting sequentially cut stones.

My problem is this: We need to be moved in and living on that floor by Wednesday, movers are set for furniture. So, I've got to get this and at least two more rooms done for the heavy stuff to be ready for setup before Tuesday night.

Every time I work with marble I remember why it's tougher, then I forget again after a couple years. This case was just made harder than it needed to be because the distributor didn't deliver what they were supposed to dimensionally.

All that said, who knows, hopefully some of these projects may inspire others to knowing they too could do similar things on their own without need to hire out.

 

[ck80]

We were going to try finishing the living room floor. Went to lowes for more mortar mix and everything. Then, on the walk back there, *this* happened:



So.... had to load up. To be fair, I honored thr spirit of things, didn't stack on top of each other, kept everything a single layer, with the bottom of every pot being on a shelf on the rack.

Having said that, it turned into this:



And I even added a few more after that. It includes 3 orchids, and 7 medium sized tropical foliage plants.

What's more, it all fit into the back of the yukon in one trip:



I'd say 95% were perennials, that was my goal. Once I got our fill of those, I added in a couple annuals because I could make room on the cart.

When they checked me out, it took them over an hour to scan what they did, then they gave up. Also, instead of the $20, they ended up only charging $13.17 total. The last plant they found to mark down to a nickel was hiding and it dropped the total way down. They just left it.

When I unloaded it at home, and sorted by plant type, this is what I was left with:









Out of curiosity, in the next day or two I'm going to add up just how much everything *originally* cost before their clearance sale.

Also needless to say, floor is NOT getting tile/mortar tonight. My 30 minute trip became 3 hours of picking, checking out, and unloading....

 

[64nailhead]

Dang, you're a glutton for punishment. But I see the deal. Wifey set me back $200 a couple of weeks back for some around the pool annuals. And then 'I can get the rest in one trip' ;(

 

[ck80]

Haven't done a thing, not. one. thing. But didn't want the thread to dormant.

June 27th broke the fibula, got a 3rd degree sprain, and other related injuries, bumps, and bruises.

Since then, haven't laid a single tile. Haven't planted a single plant. No garden, no flowers. Wife waters everything with the hose and its not only alive, the plants are blooming flowers like crazy.

But aside from that? Zip zilch nada.

I need to hire a Surveyor though, I'd like to have some boundary stakes set, and I'm thinking at least one of not two iron pins set that I can use as measurement sites for locating future improvements.

Hate the idea of needing to vet someone properly. Need to do lots of research. My presumption is that there are relatively few electronic software programs for plating purposes.

I know I want an as-built, septic and easements (drainage by road) shown. Maybe have the dig safe guys mark the gas/water service lines to house and have those drawn in. Not sure if the leach field can be located, or, if it's customary down here for the Surveyor to try to get such records from the county.

But I've learned that, supposedly, under 200 Sq ft outbuildings are exempt from permitting and code reqs. So, I'm thinking of adding 2 driveway access points and 3 free standing <200sf garages on the property to start with. So they can be heated, built rough sawn, etc for a couple hundred a piece and leapfrog a ton ofneffort and expense until a massive shop could also go in...

Save the money to get a drilled private well put in.

 

[ck80]

Picked up some salvaged granite slabs and backslash trim pieces today






I may. MAY use a piece or few to build a wet bar in one of the rooms, but, I also plan on using some outdoors in the grill/firepit area that is tbc - to be constructed. (Just like everything else.)

So. I may well be a cripple right now, BUT. That isn't going to stop me from laying out, prepping, and getting the material to do things SOMEDAY when I'm more able.

 

[ck80]

Over the last week we've now had 3 brush fires, each pile bigger than a small car, cleared from near and around the house. One area was so overgrown that a prodigious fern colony had established itself along with a variety of nuisance plants.

Trying to save the mimosa tree that was hidden there, but, not looking great. It has bark issues largely due to how the area is.

On the better side of things, met another neighbor and learned more about the people in the neighborhood today. Apparently there are groups of ladies that get together for 'wine night' and charcuterie boards and such to get away from the husbands which I told the better half she should do if she wants, she likes wine.

The men? So, neighbor across the street just built his own steel building. Our other neighbor, the one with the Dodge truck and 70s Ford, apparently he has some SERIOUS equipment around there so an introduction will be forthcoming. And by serious I mean mills that used to be at the Gulfstream aircraft plant and even some old lathes that built WWII tank parts he picked up through the years.

So that'll be fun. But one of the c5 owners I was talking to I mentioned I want a c3, and, he told me he has a c3 he wants to resto mod he was waiting for his shop before he started on, and said soon as the concrete was dry he had been pushing it back there.

My own shop chances are being complicated by concrete costs. What neighborhood guys have had done recently, well, 3000# fiber reinforced on a 32x42 pad would run $8000, with footings for lifts. So. That's that.

Also bought a massive old birdbath for project purposes.



For scale purposes, the base is 3ft tall, about 42 inches to the rim, and the dish is 3 ft wide. Woman threw in some cast sandollar stepping stones as well. So, that that for now. Almost bought a couple more riding mowers, but, trying to exercise some restraint while covered space is at a premium. Don't want to leave too much junk around now that I've been getting in good with the neighborhood based on out efforts to clean and improve the property.

 

[grandamman]

That....is a lot of sweat equity. A few years from now you'll hear how "lucky" you are to have your nice place. Congratulations..

 

[ck80]

Long time, no updates. Then again, aside from getting more land cleared, not much to report on either.... yet. Took down a bunch more brush, cleared out some several years old hurricane damaged trunk and limbs. Had a few more brush fires.

One side effect of the extra space and clearing is we now have a big, long, relatively empty stretch of land to build on. Before prices get higher I've got essentially 3 options kicking around in mind.

Excuse the picture, I cut off about 40 ft of land to the east, but, it's all cleared to the ditch anyways.

So, except for 3 big trees (cyan x) everything in the red perimeter was cleared leaving a 15ft buffer to the line, for now. Also of note, old picture, that's the prior owners junk around the yard.



1) build a mini-compound back there. At least 2, possibly 3, 10x20 mini garages making a rectangle with 10 ft fence connecting them. Obviously not to scale, it'd be much smaller than the house, but, red rectangles are 10x20 garages and blue is 10ft fence. Just to get the idea. What I drew are more about 20x50 rectangles... the entire area would be a paved slab inside the fence, and I'd guess on making an area 30ft deep by 60 to 70 feet wide inside.



Option two would be a pole barn where I pay to have the frame and roof up, then enclose the walls ourselves. Size would be dictated on whether we chose gravel base for now and worked backwards from wall material costs to stay in budget, or, did something else. So nothing really to outline there.

Option three is a staged work area. Similar to Option two, but, requiring certified plans, building permits, etc.

Again, not to scale, it'd be about 50% this size every direction. But, gist is pay for a small steel building to be built on site. Maybe 30x35. Then, later when the next tranche of money is freed up, extend the pad to have a center courtyard, again, with tall fencing, maybe 30 ft between the buildings, and another smaller 30x30 or 30x20 on the other end. That way the dirtiest work can happen outside, before rolling back into a bay. I always used to just want one huge building, but, there's a lot of stuff I'd like to work on if I had the space closer to home instead of scattered three different places