One more chore - done

I installed the concrete countertop today. I learned a lot in this process, so if you want to do your own read on and don't be afraid to just ask.
Click the pic to enlarge the details.
The cost was about $250, or $15 per square foot. Compare that to granite!


Useful sites and some notes:
Cheng Design. The book and DVD were indispensable
Although I now think that lots of the admix stuff (for strength) is selling to your fear of failing rather than helping tons
This online instructables article
Diamond polish pads Also, get a couple of hand pads and maybe an extra 50 grit if you're going to do lots of grinding to expose inlays or aggregates.
If you've done a ton of searching, but found no leads... McCoy's sells rapid set water reducer in small packet quantities, I just wanna share this because it took a while to find any leads for small batches. However, I didn't use any.
For my mix, I used Quikrete 5000 and 1/3 the suggested Cheng Pro-Fomula for a project my size (3 cubic feet). A 1 cubic foot mix kit came with the book, so I threw it in. It gave me the grey color. I'm pretty sure the color would have been nearly black had I purchased more. I think their pigments are top-notch. If you do buy them, then you gain the reducer and fibers as a bonus.
I used a gas powered, rented, mixer. I should have rented a vibrator. Check this posting for details on my sander-turned vibrator. Next time I'd pour each half separately, so I'd net out twice the time for vibrating and scribing per piece.

The counter is installed on Ikea cabinets. It's 400 lbs. I replaced the Ikea cabinet feet with pedestals made from 2x4's. I sistered the interior cabinet walls with 3/4" plywood. And I used the cross braces provided by Ikea across any spans. There's a sub floor of 3/4 plywood under the concrete to distribute the weight, and at the end near the fridge, I left a small overhang. This is because there was no room inside the cabinet (with the drawers) to sister in any extra wall strength. If I ever want to bolster that wall, I can use the lip of plywood and wedge in a sister outer wall. Otherwise, after freaking out about the weight a few times, I decided to not freak out any longer.

Thanks to all my helpers. They were great for both brawn and moral support.

We're in RI

We're in RI this week visiting the family and this is the Block Island ferry. We're having a great time. Hilltop Ice Cream, Dunkin ice coffees, pasta, and (most important) lotsa great UKC members. A couple of members are missing during this visit and we miss them!

CSA bounty

We've been getting bi-weekly boxes of veggies from a Community Supported Agriculture program (fancy / poopy name for a farm). The one we currently belong to is Johnson's Backyard Garden. Anyone have a good cucumber recipe?

weekend projects

I (think, hope, think, hope) I finally have a decent test countertop casting. I'll know next weekend when I remove it from the mold. Here's a pic of it just after the pour. Ever wonder what to do with the palm sander that eats sand paper? Screw its pad to a piece of scrap wood and then screw that wood to your concrete mold to vibrate it. (Ryobi, avoid them by the way.)

Jes is working on her pillow sewing method. She used an old table cloth for these. We're gonna put pillows in the dining nook and dine cozy.

new spaces and creations

Jes has been making herself the perfect office. She found a great old tanker desk and we scored a cool pegboard for a whopping $1.50 at Habitat for Humanity.

She's using the pegborad as an inspiration holder.

This is Bandito. His fur is the recycled bed from our friend Melissa's former dog's bed. Melissa's dog, Max, died a bit tragically, and Jes used his old bed and some fabric and vintage buttons to give it new life as a memento of Max.

And we have a dining table. I built this over the weekend from pine plank flooring. Now, I've gotta surround it with some benches.

Command Vehicle?

What's with all the SWAT Winnebagos owned by the city of Austin? This thing was passing the office just now.

update 6-19-09... another one! As a taxpayer, can I sign one of these out for a road trip?

Seeqpod time with Matt & Brady

Seeqpod time with Matt & Brady

New x-stitch art from Etsy

New x-stitch art from Etsy

HH 4 his b-day 4-25

HH 4 his b-day 4-25

DSC00244

DSC00242

New dining light and more

Just installed a dining area light today. We purchased it from Rejuvenation in Portland, OR. Jes supplied the details of all the parts we wanted and they built it out.

Closer...

Here's a print that Jes got through etsy.com. Have you checked it out yet? Crafty people with web store fronts. This one is by an artist in Mexico and it's the ends of logs stacked in a pile.

and Charlie... next to Lucy's mega eyeball.

From cartoon to real life

Looking at these pictures next to each other makes me feel like a bridge between second life and first has been made. While, I know countless architectural drawings have been cast into stone, steel and wood prior to now, this is my first time to take part in such an endeavor. Also, using Google Sketchup is as close to playing "Second Life", the online game, as I have come. And, although I didn't draw the one posted here, I have many versions of my house that I have cartooned in Sketchup and so I feel steeped in the mindset you can get from being able to rotate and walk through a cartoon while meditating on the goal of actually building the model one day. As we started this project, I had this cartoon printed on my desk at work so I could keep my eye on the target. It's so cool to see it all in real life.

Good house keeping

Good house keeping

Celebrating Charlie Day

Charles Barkley turned 13 this week, 12 of those as my housemate. He's still every bit the Charles. Why, just last evening he valiantly and awkwardly rose to Lucy's defense as we were all walking along a greenbelt. However, I'm proud that he went through the whole renovation without incident with any of the workers. The only thing 13 about him are is lanky hips, but he keeps on trucking as best an old dog can. He's a loyal friend to all that earn their way into his inner circle, he self-appointedly keeps us safe, he keeps Lucy entertained (and keeps the deep recesses of her ears clean), he doesn't fetch. Happy birthday bud!

Oh Christmas tree

Cutting down your Christmas tree in TX means being able to do it in a t-shirt. We did this last weekend out near Elgin. It was everything you could ask for. A hay ride, a donkey, trees, toy trains, cider and helper kids with tree allergies wheezing through the day.

Here are our stockings hung by the hallway with care.


It's not easy to see any detail well in this picture, let alone the little owl on top of the tree. We have a lot of screech owls and an occasional barred owl in our hood, so we topped our tree with a tribute.

A touch of fall in TX

It's a crisp cool morning in Austin and we just came in from a walk during which Jes did a little swinging.

When we got home, Charlie surveyed the yard from the new porch.

I was waiting for a good progress point for some updates

And, here they are...

First the front. If you click on the pic to enlarge it, you'll be able to see the new door better.

Now, we've walked down the drive to the back for 2 shots.




Back around front and inside the front door. The pine box is our old kitchen cum laundry room.



This is the hallway into the kitchen.

Jes playing house as I enter the kitchen.

And here, I'm standing in what will soon be the eating nook (under the loft) looking out into the cooking part of the kitchen.


And finally, here are a few pics (bad light) of the bedroom and new bathroom.


The shower and bathroom.

Jes's eggplant & beat dinner

Jes's eggplant & beat dinner

1st art

We got our cabinets fully installed this weekend, so the kitchen is really coming together. Also, we're putting out some of our stuff (as opposed to contractor's tools and cardboard boxes). Here you can see the first piece of art to be hung. Our wedding gift from Tom. I wish it could tell it's own story of what does glass art do to survive construction, it's a different tale than any of the boxes of "stuff" would have.

Also, we went to Mandola's Vineyard for Jes's birthday, click here for some pics from that