James R. Lewis's Blog
Posted by James R. Lewis
Our bathroom conversion that I was recently sharing with you about was not just an alteration of the structure of the home, it was an investment in the family, especially doing the work ourselves. One of my favorite pictures of all time is one I took of my kids pounding down the wall that needed to be removed for this project. My daughter was about 4, my son 7, and they both had their construction aprons on, and were pounding away with their little hammers, and my son at least, still remembers and talks about that project with a great fondness.
Not only was working on the project itself an investment in the family, but the results have enhanced the family life as well. That "walk through" closet (similar to a "walk IN closet," but also a passageway to our room) is my son's favorite hiding place for when they play Hide and Seek. I guess he followed my example-I found it to be a great hiding place for the same game when I was playing with them a while back! The big whirlpool tub has also made a great reward for the kids on special days-and here I was THINKING that I had put it in for my wife! Sometimes I think the kids enjoy it on those special occasions more than she does!
Other remodeling projects have had similar impact for my kids, as tools for bonding, for building memories, and for giving them a sense of ownership and place, a sense of "home" that they would never have, had we left the house the way we found it. Some of my favorite memories when I was growing up were of doing such projects with my dad in my younger years. Those growing up years tend to have so much chaos, so many problems, and kids often lack a sense of belonging and stability. As a teen when my world was falling apart and full of uncertainties, I could look around and see in the projects in our home, many of which I had worked on with my dad, and see them as elements of the permanence and stability of my father's love, even if I couldn't always feel that love from day to day.
I would suggest to you that your projects shaping and investing in your space, do much more than shape the aesthetics of your house, but shape the very lives of those living in your home. That fact is so much more true when you work the projects together as a family when and where you can, whether its with spouse or kids or both. I'm usually able to work the projects more EFFECIENTLY on my own, but in light of the big picture, I am working them most EFFECTIVELY when I involve the family.
Shaping spaces and shaping lives-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
I'm inbetween household projects right now. It's a good time to assess what all we've accomplished with our space, and what needs to come next. Problem is, I'm afraid of the next project. I mentioned the peeling paint at the old Army post - well, the skin of my house is beginning to show some of those same signs. I afraid of this next project just from the mere size of it, and the fact that you can't very well take your time with it and finish it as time permits: it is an all or nothing kind of project. And ideally, I need to do more than just the siding, I need to put some insulation in the walls as well, which is a sizeable project on its own.
I'm been examining this project for months, trying to make sure I get all the angles covered. We've decided to do vinyl siding over the original clapboard siding, so I've been looking at various product lines to get a sense of my options. I've also been trying to get my wife to help envision various color combinations, but she has a hard time imagining that kind of thing. What has worked best has been looking at other houses as we drive around to see what colors and combinations others have used, and imagining what that might look like on our house with our landscaping.
I've found its better to ask her opinion than to guess what she might want We've been married forever, and I thought I knew her tastes and color preferences, but as soon as I suggested what I THOUGHT she might like, I quickly found out how off I was! Just because she USED to like shades of blue, doesn't mean that's what she wants THIS time!
One of my big concerns is the windows, and how to manage the windows when I'm trying to add an insulating sheathing on the outside. It would be easier if those materials were on the show-room floor too, but it looks like I've got to order those from a catalog. I'm the kind of guy that likes to hold the product in my hands, to view it from all angles, and actually see how it goes together before buying it, though. Catalogs are good for some things, but not this project.
Lots of details on a project this size. It's a good idea to take time on the big things in life. I hope you take time on your big projects too - houses, marriages, kids, the important things. I'm not ready for the project yet, but I'm getting there.
Taking care of the details-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
I am away from home again, and again on an old Army post. I don't like being away from home, but this time I've noticed that I'm in a living laboratory of sorts. I'm again in a place with WW 2 era barracks, much of which it would seem, has remained untouched since that time. So I can see with my very own eyes, what happens when buildings are left to the effects of weather.
We don't think about it so much, but the main function of our homes is to protect us from the elements, and the main function of the exterior finish of the home is to protect the structure from the elements. Yeah, I know you thought THOUGHT the main function of your home was to be some form of self-expression, or a way to show the world that you are "keeping up with the Jones's," or better yet, "BETTER than the Jones's." And sure, those are very important sSECONDARY functions of our homes, but not their most important role. At least for most of us-I guess for some that "secondary" function could become primary.
Anyway, it's a never-ending battle with the elements, regardless of what climate you're in. And every finish is perishable, so if you leave it too long, it will fail. A good slate roof can last up to 150 years- as long as the occasional loose tile is dealt with quickly-- that's pretty exciting! Your typical shingle roof will last ten to twenty years, depending on the climate, the quality of the materials, the quality of the installation, and what hurricanes is has to survive through. While I've never heard the figures from the experts on brick, from what I've seen, I'd say a well-done brick wall should be able to last fifty to a hundred years before the mortar needs to be repaired. Vinyl siding claims twenty to thirty years, and paint claims five to twenty (though my house, newly repainted a year before I bought it, was already starting to bubble and peel by the time I moved in).
The point is, everything needs maintenance, some sooner, some later. When I was in the Navy, it was a common sight to see sailors scraping and painting the ship, pretty much all the time. But you NEVER saw rust setting in on a Navy ship. But we would often see other ships in passing or in port. In the salt sea air, rust pops up quickly, and you'd see it on other ships all the time, as they had fewer sailors to take care of the ship on a regular basis. And their ships were visibly deteriorating, just like these barracks with little care over the years, because they didn't invest the TIME to take proper care of it.
Take care of it BEFORE it falls apart, and it will take care of you-that's true for your house's paint, roof, and plumbing, all the same (and JUST as true for your marriage or other relationships!). A little TLC goes a long way, and not just when it comes time to sign the contract, but throughout the life of the home (OR marriage, or whatever!).
Taking care of what's important-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
I've been going around the house taking pictures of various projects to share with you about, in preparation for a few weeks away from home. I'll still be writing articles, but "from a distance" as it were, and I'll need the pictures with me. Anyway, the simple process of taking pictures has been a kind of "time-travel," reviewing the past few years of projects, and a very encouraging thing, to see all that we have accomplished in this little home. We came into a classic home meant to be sold-- everything in neutral white, clean, "nice," and functional for any and all would-be buyers, but with absolutely NO personality.
In the five years since then, I have to say the house is developing a personality. There's literally not a room we've left untouched, as we've dealt with pretty much everything, including the proverbial kitchen sink-- unless you count the hallway going upstairs, but we gave that all the personality it needs by making it our portrait gallery. And, by the way, it does need some attention, but that will have to wait until after the big siding project that I hope to get to before the winter winds come.
The whirlwind tour of the metamorphoses of this house has been pretty exciting, and has seen us experiment with quite a variety of techniques. The first big project was the kitchen counter and sink. It was even uglier than the worn-out bright orange and avocado green left over from the early 70's that I had to live with in a previous home! It was a makeshift, home-made Formica project with a stainless steel sink. I personally have never seen the attraction of stainless steel, in sinks or otherwise, so that was the first eyesore to be addressed. Not that I have anything against Formica, as the new counter is also that substance, but there is Formica that is well-done and attractive, and there is ugly stuff that is literally tacked together, and the latter is what we had. We also put in tile flooring that made a big impact in the space as well.
The bathroom was the next target, but it was more than just a bathroom project. THAT will be a whole series of articles by itself! In a nutshell, we replaced poorly apportioned space, a half-bath, and a crumbling floor, with a walk-through closet and full bath with an oversized whirlpool tub and beautiful stonework-- a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.
Every wall in every room has been painted (except the hall stairs), from your basic clearance paint (a wonderful resource I might add) applied in the most simple, straight-forward way, to varieties of faux finishes and murals, adding both whimsy and sophistication to previously bland spaces. And the fire-place, still underway, with beautiful wood-work in its mantle-piece that had been sinfully whited out, but is now developing again the style it was born with.
I could go on and on -- and trust me, I will! But in future articles. Take a look around YOU for encouragement as well, be reminded of all you have accomplished (or all the dreams pent up inside of you that you have yet to realize). The doing of these projects is rewarding in itself, but take time to bask in the beauty of your work as well, and share it with your friends and family. Life and all its accomplishments, especially those in which we bring beauty out of blandness or brokenness, is meant to be shared.
Helping make the world a more beautiful place-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
I'm home again. Back from another time away, this time a mix of business and camping. My needing to be in and out of the home a lot these days is bringing home to me the importance of keeping my things organized. When I do that, coming and going is a pretty simple thing-- I grab my stuff and go, and quickly put it back where it belongs when I'm back, ready for "normal" life, or ready for my next expedition, whichever comes first.
That works great in theory. Problem is, life often doesn't work that smoothly, especially if I'm not very intentional about putting things back where they belong right away. That's one of my "growing edges" these days -- KEEPING things where they belong I've got the theory down pat -- my problem is in putting that theory into practice in a habitual way.
I keep telling myself and my wife that I am doing better on this -- and at least half of us believe me at least half of the time! It's challenging, though, when everywhere you go, you bring more "stuff" home-- either more papers, or more kitchy giveaways that everyone uses to get your attention. And its worse with the kids-- I'm beginning to think that teachers these days don't feel like they are getting anything across unless they can send another paper or project home with the kids!
I sometimes yearn for the good old days of scarcity, where even paper was precious, so that the kids talked about what they learned, rather than showed yet another piece of paper that had to float around and clutter the house before it finally finds its home. And then we are blessed with those who feel a need to keep EVERY SINGLE SCRAP of paper or project that is sent home -- not that anyone in MY home has that need!
How to stay organized and keep afloat, not drowning in this sea of paper and more? My wife has gotten to where she loves those organizing shows on TV-- and they do have a lot of good advice. I'm noticing that we as a family seem to be inching in the right direction (is "millimetering" in the right direction an acceptable phrase yet? Not according to my computer's spellchecker!). But I guess that's progress of some sort.
I finally have my own office space in the house-- that should help. If only I could get to it, now that my nephew has moved into the room this summer! Perhaps I'll have more to say on this issue once the summer's comings and goings are completed, including my own. That's my project for the year-- let's get organized! I'll try not to pine too much for the simplicity of a bare, small room in the desert-- else I might find myself going back! Been there, done that, and now I'm ready to move on. But how?
Taking it one day at a time--
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
Blog 12 June 06
Sometimes it helps to get away from home to appreciate what you have. I'm at Ft. McCoy this week doing some Army training - some of you may be familiar with the place. Even if you were familiar with the place MANY years ago, it hasn't changed much-except that even MORE of the paint is peeling.
I love camping and all that comes with it, and I love my Army training events, but I do miss my waterbed. And my REAL bathroom (I'll have to tell you about that sometime-it was also one of our projects), just a few feet away from my waterbed. And my floor that is not a mixture of knee-high grass and sand. And my nice, comfy chairs (and of course my wife and kids, but they're not a Home Reno project! I think I'M more the project for my wife than the other way around!).
One of the soldiers I was talking to also helped put it all in perspective in talking about the many places he's been, and that no matter how bad we Americans THINK we have it-either on the home front or elsewhere-we are wonderfully blessed. We have homes that (usually) aren't falling down around our ears. We have water we can count on, and drink straight out of the faucet that we just twist to turn on IN our homes (in multiple places in our homes I might add), rather than the grueling task so much of the world faces just to get clean water (IF that is possible at all). You'd probably rather not hear about the "water system" if you could call it that, in Iraq right now.
Not only that, even in our most humble of abodes, we have (virtually) universal access to an unlimited supply of electricity that is only a plug away. We are indeed truly blessed in our land of Truth, Justice, and the American Way (which includes electric and running water).
I'm glad I can be reminded of that reality on a regular basis, and if I can help remind you of that occasionally, that's a good thing. So the next time you (and I) complain about a power saw breaking, or that we can't find the right color for our carpet or toilet, or that we need to build more storage for our plethora of "stuff," remember the true breadth of our blessings, and be thankful (and share a little with someone who needs it).
Being truly blessed-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
Blog 6 June-- A life together
Today marks 19 years of marriage with my wife. We have not only been "building a home" together for all these years, we've been doing a lot of repair and renovation together on both house and home as well! From the very beginning, we've been working on the house-- and sometimes even together.
It's always fun hearing folks reminisce about their first home together -- the stories can sometimes even be frightening about the conditions some endure. Not so with us-- our first place together was a mission style home in a very nice neighborhood, with two bedrooms and a garage-- not a mansion, but far from the holes some describe. But it came with a price-- I had to work on the place for the landlord, so it got me off to a great start.
Even in houses that we have not owned (often a prerequisite for doing remodeling), we have worked to improve the place. We were even professional roofers and "handymen" together for a while -- it's amazing what marriage will do for you! And then there's the mileposts in life to remember-- we went to Miami after Hurricane Andrew to put a new roof on my mother-in-law's house when we made the big announcement to her and friends of my wife's first pregnancy. (At least she had the courtesy to come down from the roof top to share the news!)
A marriage blends two lives together -- two lives with often disparate tastes and dreams of house and home. But we have been blessed in that area with very similar tastes (although we are still working on hammering out the 'dreams' part!). And I am blessed in that she is eager to throw herself into the projects as well -- as long as she doesn't have to use the power saw, she'll do most anything else. Of course it would be easier and less embarrassing for me to fix my mistakes along the way if she weren't QUITE so involved, but ya gotta take the good with the bad...
One of the wonderful gifts she brings to the team is the talent of finding and buying all the tools and materials at clearance prices almost all the time. But on the flip-side of that is that I am often doing my part, getting sweaty, scraping my knuckles, and getting sawdust in my eyes, when she is doing her part (the shopping), "suffering" with the discomforts and distractions of air conditioned stores-- what a deal!
But then, that's what a working marriage is like, isn't it-- both doing your own part, and for both, that might seem to be far more than going half-way. Not that both members of the marriage are doing the same thing to make the marriage work, but both doing what they do best. I cringe when I hear struggling couples who complain that they have already done more than their share to make the marriage work -- marriage is no 50/50 arrangement -- it only works if both parties are willing to give 110% each!
But here I am again, slipping into "home" renovation and repair, rather than "house" concerns-- but wait-- my section DOES say "HOME Reno and Repair" doesn't it? So maybe I'm not getting out of my lane after all...
Be blessed, and share the blessings--
Happy Anniversary, Darling Wife!
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
At last! The carpet project is done! I would be REALLY celebrating if I could actually SEE the new carpet, but it is still covered with the clutter from our trying to reorganize the room! My wife LOVES those home organizing shows on TV -- hence the job in the first place. She recently saw one in which the room being saved through the reorganizing project was called an "activity room," and she liked the sound of that.
So much for MY idea of calling the room MY "office," that I would be nice enough to allow for other occasional uses. In her mind it is the family's "activity room" that I can occasionally borrow for an office -- if I stay in my office corner, and allow some of my office space to be taken over for other purposes! (Of course we need to overlook the fact that I have claimed virtually the whole garage and half the basement as "my" space in order for me to still fuss about the encroachment on MY office -- that's different-- those areas are for storage and my workshop, and that is all for the good of the family anyway, not just for me...) BUT, I have a least won the victory of having my own desk for MY space, and I may well even get my own chair out of the deal-- now I'm "stylin' and profiling'" as my good friend used to say!
Once we're done with the room, the carpet having been a big part of the remodel project, the space will USUALLY function as my office for my studies, but will also be better organized for other purposes. It will serve as our guest room (or "Mike's room" this summer, for my all-but-graduated college aged nephew who will be with us until school starts again in the fall), our sewing room, and the craft and activity room for the kids. Not to mention the "staging area" for Christmas decorations (always a big project around here!) and all the gift-wrapping that goes on in that time of year... all in all it should prove to be a very useful space that I'm sure you will be hearing more of in the coming months.
It's fascinating to me how the little things you do (as well as the BIG things!) on the house make the house a "home," and develop that wonderful sense of "ownership" and belonging in the place we lay our heads. For some people, just living in the space can do that for them, but I guess I'm an artist that needs to "sculpt" the space to truly develop that sense of appreciation. My wife might just call me a mess or a nut case for such a thought -- but I'm sure all the great artists in history had spouses who said the same thing. Not that my home looks much like the Sistine Chapel to MOST people, but it is in a very real sense, my continually changing work of "art."
I hope you enjoy that same sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when you pause to review your projects in their various stages of completion. They are not merely practical changes in your space to suit your needs, but expressions of who you are -- enjoy them, revel in them, bask in your success (and make sure you show them off to your friends!) and grow from your mistakes. Make sure you make the time to appreciate all your blood, sweat and tears (a cliché that can be very literal in some of our projects!), to make them all worthwhile. Just like in life, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it, and even your mistakes can be avenues for growth.
Until next time- blessings all around--
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
It's one of those weeks. I'm in the midst of a remodel job in our spare room, that will include new carpet, and I've got to get the old out by this weekend to get to the side of the road with all the other junk in the house and garage. Our town does a "spring clean up" where you can pile anything you want to by the road, and they come pick it up for no charge: old carpet, an old fridge or couch, those boxes of junk you've been collecting for years-- anything and everything can go. It's an awesome sight , seeing these big piles all through the neighborhood all at once each year.
So I've got to get the carpet out without fail, but of course we have to get other things out of the way first-- quite the project. So I'm in the midst of this, and I realize I still haven't gotten that hole in the siding fixed yet (it's in a hidden spot, so easy to put out of mind), and the bees are all around trying to find a new home. I went to the neighbor to borrow a ladder to get it fixed, but he had left it at a worksite. That was when the weather was nice; now it's cold and rainy outside, but I've got to get it done.
Then once I'm in the midst of the big job upstairs, still only half done, the garbage disposal locks up. I keep trying it again and again, hoping it will magically fix itself, but surprisingly (and disappointingly), it doesn't, so now I need to fix that right away too. And just to make matters worse, the dog has gotten real stinky and needs a bath! (So far, trying to pay off the kids to wash the dog hasn't worked-- time to up the ante).
I hope you're having a better weekend than I am!
If I write enough about it, do you think that will help it magically fix itself?
I'm waiting... I guess not-- no magic is happening yet. I guess its time to get to work...
(Life's that way too, isn't it-- when it rains, it pours, and sitting around hoping it will magically fix itself doesn't work on the real life front either-- ya just got to get to work...)
Blessings all around-
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
Still raining...
"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..." -- It's usually a kids' song, but now I'm singing it! It's been raining for almost two weeks straight now, but we did have a BRIEF window of sunshine sneaking past the clouds yesterday. It was just enough to get the lawn mowed, but not much more than that! My 9 year old daughter was eager to try her hand at the mower-- quite an exciting thing -- I just HOPE the excitement can last for the next ten years or so! She was excited until a big blast of thunder came literally out of the blue, and we saw that the storm clouds were coming back.
The kids have been getting stir-crazy... I've been getting stir-crazy! But there's two good things about extensive rain when it comes to home repair -- you've little temptation to LEAVE the indoor jobs (like my office and carpeting project upstairs) for the distraction of a cook-out or other such "nonsense" outside, and it's an ideal time to check the home for water problems!
We had a leaky roof a couple years ago-- I'm proud to say (without a doubt, after almost two weeks of constant rain!) that the repair is working just fine-- I wouldn't be able to say the same with confidence were the sun shining! Certain problems only befall the house with the fall of the rain and the rise of puddles and drainage issues in the yard.
Time to check the basement -- how dry is it staying? We have had some minor leakage problems in the past, how are they now? I've noticed in the walls I've been working on, evidence of rain leakage in the past -- now is the time to check around ALL the windows to see if we still have issues there. I've also told you about the blessings and curse of the addition to the house -- it's certainly not new, but because of design concerns, it's a problem waiting to happen with leakage around the edges, and I haven't checked that yet, either (I think I'm afraid of what I might find!). So now's the time for checking the yard for drainage problems.
If you are in the market for buying a house, rainy weather is a great time to explore potential buys. Drainage problems in the yard that can contribute to house problems, but only become readily apparent when it has been raining a while. The same can be said for flooding issues-- we've heard of the flooding in New England, and the constant rain brings to mind the prospect of flooding here. That lovely house by the river might look a little less attractive right about now...
Maybe the farmers and their crops have it right after all-- a little rain is not ALL bad after all. But can't we at least live in Camelot, where "The rain may never fall 'til after sun-down..."?
The strength and true condition of our homes (AND our lives and relationships!) is never fully apparent until we find ourselves in the depths of the storms and at the tail end of two weeks straight of rain. Put the rain to good use, and check all those potential leaks and problems!
Until next time-- look for the silver lining,
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
We sometimes call it the sewing room, sometimes the office, sometimes the guest room, sometimes the junk room, sometimes the craft room, as it fills all of these functions, but none of them well. It's also where our medieval clothes are hung for our reenactment hobby, and where my suits, coats, uniforms, the wife's special dresses, and other odds and ends are kept. And around the holidays and shopping seasons, it becomes the dumping ground and staging area for piles of shopping bags, or boxes of décor (we finally got the last of Christmas and Valentine's Day boxes out of the room last month -- April!)
We've been needing to somehow make it more functional for some time, and are now finally taking the plunge. The two biggest problems in the room (besides it having to fill so many purposes!) have been the carpet, and the wall full of built-in drawers. The carpet is actually very nice, a thick, soft rug with a good pad underneath, very well installed (I was quite impressed when taking it out that the seams I could identify from the back were completely invisible on top). But it was a very light color -- almost white -- that had some very bad and very permanent stains on it.
Along the whole back wall is a built-in bank of 16 drawers and several cabinets, topped with an old Formica counter top. Though the counter top was ugly (still is) and poorly installed, I was at first really excited about all the storage potential it presented. But they are all old, badly crafted drawers, so they do not use the space very efficiently, and are usually stuck, difficult for parents to use, let alone for the kids we hoped would use them.
My most pressing and presenting need right now is that I am starting a master's degree program (Thank you, G.I. Bill!), and need a quiet space that I can call my own and keep my studies organized. Unfortunately, I'll not be able to take over the space completely -- it will still have to be that multi-purpose room, but how to use it more efficiently? I had seen on one of the TV home shows a while back, a way to organize just one end of a small room as an office that would easily hide the office clutter -- an important consideration, considering my reputation for cluttered office space! This room has an opportunity akin to that -- a segregated corner that has its own closet.
My thought is to clear out the closet, fill the closet space with my desk and its inherent clutter (so it can be closed off from the rest of the space), and call that corner my own, though I recognize that the space outside the closet may at times have to fulfill other purposes. Along the way we will change out the carpet (fueled by the wife having found what she wanted already on clearance, so now I have a roll of carpet cluttering up my basement! See "Carpet 101" for carpet selection thoughts ), we'll rework the bank of cabinets and drawers along the back wall to make them more functional, and paint over the old, dated and damaged plywood paneling on some of the walls (I feel an article on painting paneling coming on!).
The room is currently a mess, with the carpet torn out (though we will be reusing the carpet pad, as it is still in very good shape), the cabinets only half made, and the junk FROM the old drawers and cabinets piled precariously on that ugly back counter (unfortunately, that change will have to wait for another time). I think I hear the room calling me, beckoning me from my computer, as pressingly persistent as a newborn crying out in the night... So the dutiful dad is now done dodging duties -- time to dive in again.
Stay tuned for further details-- Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
The weather was so nice yesterday-- one of the first of the Spring when I also had the opportunity to get out into the yard, and being spring break for my son, it made for a good father and son activity. Sometimes the line between Home Renovation and Repair and Gardening is a little fuzzy, and this is one of those times. But, thankfully for all around, we at Suite 101 cover both areas nicely, and I hope you visit our gardening section as well.
In the Army (I'm a Reservist) we "PMCS" virtually EVERYTHING. PMCS is the "preventative maintenance" system that is used, recognizing that PREVENTING problems is usually much more cost- and time- effective than fixing them. The same philosophy holds true for your home as well.
Spring's lovely weather called me irresistibly outdoors yesterday, and in taking care of the yard projects, it gave me the opportunity to give the house's exterior a good examination to see what needs the cruel winter brought about on our poor house's skin. Kids are great assets when it comes to looking over these things -- their curiosity often allows them to notice those things adults' jaded eyes often miss.
Such was the case yesterday when my son noticed some pesky bees going into our wall to roost. Some bees can be terrible to your house -- some will dine on your home like termites, some call your home THEIR home, and can build huge and damaging nests in your walls. We have been fighting that problem for some time, we thought we had them beat, but it appears they are coming back! It doesn't help that winter's ravages have knocked of a piece of the siding-- a fact I would not have noticed had my son's curious eyes not followed the bees.
Another problem my yard work led me to notice was the ivy. Ivy can have a classic, sophisticated, even romantic look. Think of the image of the "Ivy League" schools, so named due to ivy covered walls. Ivy on the walls can look charming -- as long as they are SOMEONE ELSE'S walls! Ivy can be terribly destructive! It can crumble stone and stucco, and eat away at paint and wood, and is MUCH more easy to deal with as it is just starting to crawl up the walls than AFTER it is well established.
Keep an eye on the roof, too, as you are cleaning up the yard. Several things are important to look for and address -- sticks and leaves, moss, gutters, and shingle condition. Anything on the roof other than the shingles does not belong, and can cause damage-- get it off! Sticks and leaves can gather around chimneys and vent pipes. Moss often likes to grow in shaded areas. The screens that are designed to keep your gutters free of leaves and sticks can cause them to collect on the roof above them if you are not careful. And keep an eye on those shingles and their overall condition. Nothing lasts forever, and though replacing the shingles is a big job, its not as big as replacing the rotted structure if you allow leaks to go on unrepulsed!
More details later on exactly what to look for and what to do about it, but make sure you use your YARD time to also examine your house. Problems can sneak up on you if you are not ever mindful and aware of the house's condition, and those problems are usually MUCH easier to fix if you can prevent them, or catch them early (of course the same could be said for your HOME and the relationships that build THAT structure, as could be said for the physical structure of your HOUSE!)
Blessings on both your house AND your home--
Jim
Posted by James R. Lewis
My daughter's ninth birthday is this week, quite conveniently right after the week of Spring Break. Convenient, I say, because she spent Spring Break with her cousins, grandmother, aunt and uncle away from home in New York, giving my wife and I time to work some magic in her room. She's about three quarters "tomboy," and one quarter little girl (though she chastises me if ever I call her "girlie girl"). When we moved here, she ended up with the prettiest room in the house: a striped rose and cream wallpaper with roses and leaves all throughout-- a perfect girl's room-- but not for her. I put aside the pink and princess stencils one last time that we had hoped to use when we found them on clearance ages ago-- though she is my little princess to me, she wouldn't appreciate it in her room.
She's a sports enthusiast (her aunt was so excited that she watched all the Rangers games with her!), but more the participant than the fan, and her favorite color is blue (definitely NOT pink), but she also likes purple and butterflies, and her favorite song is "Butterfly Kisses," so the challenge is to incorporate all that into the decoration for her room.
It was sad to have to take down that pretty wall paper (but the project will make for some GOOD articles for you!), but we wanted to make the room to suit her. We would have gotten more input from her, but when the mamma first mentioned the project, our daughter said "If you're going to do my room, surprise me with it..." So much for getting her input!
She came home last night-- we were hoping to have it all done, but it's not quite there yet. Luckily though, I locked the door on my way out (her brother has this annoying habit of barging into her room and taking things-- so we gave her a keyed lock), and the key is not where it's supposed to be. So on the way home we told her she'll have to sleep on the couch (and not spoil the surprise she wanted) until we can find the key-- she's still young enough to fall for that (and it IS true that the door is locked and the key is misplaced...). Now can we keep up the ruse until her birthday on Wednesday?
We managed to incorporate the blue, the butterflies, "Butterfly Kisses," purple, soccer and gymnastics, and (HOPEFULLY!) we won't even leave too much of a mess on the floor, and the best part is, the mamma and I didn't kill each other in the process!
I look forward to sharing the details next time--
Jim
P.S.-- it's important to remember that Home Reno and Repair CAN be a source of marital disputes-- but I do marriage counseling as well, so beware, and don't forget to seek help in THAT area of "home reno and repair" too! Stay tuned for relationship advice as well...