November 2007

The yard is full of trees… likely too many for such a small lot and we’ll have to cut many of them down (especially the ones that had been "topped" by an idiot trimmer). Not to worry, the "signature" trees are staying.

We’ve been able to ID most of them: Silver-dollar eucalyptus, Fig (yummy), Mimosa, Mulberry, Oleander (technically a shrub, but these are as large as trees…)… but there are a few that have stumped us.

There’s a massive, beautiful tree in the back corner of the lot now covered with red berries… and a smaller, almost olive-looking tree now bearing weird fruit.

Any ideas?

In an attempt to avoid more intense projects, I made these pipe covers this weekend from some old 3/4in plywood shelf-boards in the house (good, solid stock) and covered them with some left-over VCT tile (which cuts wonderfully on the table saw).

These pipes confused us at first until Mark LaChance informed me that code required that there were no under-slab sweat joints allowed — so any joinery had to be brought up and out of the slab… this might’ve been just for the potable water as there are no joint clusters for the radiant heat pipes that I can find (or perhaps these pipes are crazy long and twisty). The manifold for the heat (adjustments) is in the hall closet with more potable water joinery.

These covers will be handy when something in the closet decides to fall.

Marty took the opportunity to inspect the work as well.

Lots of folks are curious about replacement windows. The current trend is — of course — vinyl windows… which would look out-of-place on an Eichler home. While the energy lost through the transmission of the aluminum (over vinyl) is an issue, since we live in a mild climate, it was a worthwhile trade-off (efficiency for not cringing each time we look at the windows).

We purchased Milgard's basic clear anodized aluminum replacement windows. Ordering without a nail fin enabled us to slip them in after we slipped the originals out — a very easy process if the measuring is done correctly (some of ours were a bit tight and I had to shave off some wood for a good fit which was no fun… measure twice, cut once).

Anyway, I pulled out the DSLR today and took some up-close/macro shots so folks could see the fit and finish. So far, we've installed three of the six: two bath windows and one bedroom window. The hall-bath and corner bedroom share a sill… it was a task to recreate such a long piece.

Some things to note:
… We have not done the final cleaning. The units come with quite a bit of goo on them (excess caulking) which traps sawdust. Some denatured alcohol will probably help to clean them (see red circle in 3rd image).
… We also replaced all of the redwood trim: Sills (which were both daunting and satisfying to make), trim, etc…. still final sanding and painting to do.
… The windows open easily via the Milgard-branded latch as well as lock (the brass button)
… Unfortunately, Millgard won't/can't make the original 2-pane windows… likely due to safety issues. We had them make 3 individual, but equally sized panes — the 2 sides slide open.
… The windows are held in place by 3/4in square redwood stock and a bit of caulk — simple simon.
… The gray "paint" is primer. We got smart and had them tint the 2nd bucket.
… Still lots of sanding and finish work still to do.
… The windows are double pane + low-e, but not argon filled. The bath windows are frosted and tempered.
… All 6 windows (4 bedroom and 2 bath) were $1500 from Home Depot.
… We'll be installing all of them ourselves as we replace the siding around them.

Edit: As of October 2009, we've not had a problem with condensation save on the inside of the bath window frame after a hot shower (which is to be expected). The plastic trim (it's minimal trim) on one of the most sun-kissed windows is fading a bit (from gray to tan), but not a huge deal overall.

The first proper pictures of the LG Art Cool system… the paint color in the bedroom (Behr’s "Squirrel") tends to let it blend with the surroundings.

Thanks to the Container Store’s sale on Elfa shelving, we were able to outfit the closets in the house with some new hardware. We used this system in our last home and loved it — probably tripling the amount of storage capacity. In the Master Bedroom closet, we opted for drawers, shelves and hangbars… so much storage that we’ll likely not need a dresser (which we don’t have as the rooms in our last home were fairly small). Installation was finally able to take place after the drywall, paint and trim…