After Marty died, the house was way too quiet. We were lucky enough to get Arthur to come and set-up shop at the RedneckModern house… He's cute (and very destructive). The phonic similarity to his nickname (Artie) to Marty is purely coincidental.
We really like the ModKat litter box, but at $200, it's a bit silly… and true to the name (RedneckModern): if you can make it, why buy it?
With Marty, we used Ikea's Sluggis boxes for litter boxes, but they've been discontinued. They were nice as they were truly waterproof/leakproof and looked a bit more sleek that your typical litter pan. In looking for a replacement, I noticed the Trofast series of sliding drawers and thought these might make a nice replacement… and at $3, a bargain.
There's an IkeaHack in here somewhere — perhaps taking the 3-wide Trofast frame and making it a 3-cat litter station, but the idea of the box sliding like a drawer was enough to get the gears turning. A few dollars in particleboard later — and the first use of the dado blade on the saw — the first prototype emerged.
The idea of a top-entry litter box is for the cat to shake off litter while jumping out. For this, a lowered platform open on the face and back serves well — for the final, I might even put a small square of coir matting to trap more debris or use a perforated material.
The final will eventually be made of solid wood or plywood and should cost well under the ModKat price of $200 for the materials. I've also noted that the bottom is kind of unnecessary as the tray is rigid enough to support itself (and cat) while locked into the dado groove. I think walnut plywood and a floating green tray might look pretty cool. Maybe with a porthole on the face or side, too.
Today, we said goodbye to our sidekick, mascot and best friend, Marty. Complications from kitty-cancer took him far ealier than expected. We'll be missed, but not forgotten… well, as long as I keep the blog up.
…
R.I.P. Martycat (April 18, 1996 – January 4, 2012)Read More »
My other life as a design educator is a great one. The balance between it and home renovation seems to keep me honest, but I consider myself quite fortunate to be where I am most of the day.
Not unlike the content of this blog, I tend to send random missives to my students quite often. I've been very fortunate in the past few weeks to have some of these show up on Imprint.com and Salon.com…
Dan had a door in much need of replacement. I call it the "conquista-door" because of the heavy-handed carvings that would be more appropriate on a Spanish revival home… but it's ill-placed nonetheless.
A day later, he had something more Eichler-appropriate. Check out his blog, too, see what else is afoot.
One thing we've learned on our own door and this one is that yellow paint covers terribly and takes about 6 coats to cover completely (whereas a darker or more opaque color might cover in 2 coats)… something to consider when picking a color and looking at a time-line (or costs shoudl you be hiring someone to paint it).
Nonetheless, we seem to have gotten Eichler front door replacement down to a science. Drop me a line if you need a new one…
Because nothing says "Happy birthday, Jesus" like a deflated vinyl snowman, right?
Greg and Diane's house is now on the market… sadly, they're moving to Seattle. We'll miss them, but hope to score some great new neighbors.
The house is located at 4094 Sacramento Street in Concord and is one of the lesser-seen flat roof models. The house is in great original/original-esque condition. Some specifics:
The house is offered at $330,000 … a steal for an Eichler home in this condition — it's one of the most original houses I've seen… the updates that they've made are either invisible (foam roof) or very period-appropriate (bathrooms). Contact Kevin for a look-see.
Kevin Eklund
925-362-1484 (office)
925-360-5169 (cell)
Kevin@kevineklund.com
Open house:
Sat, Jan 14th 10:30am – 1:00pm
Sun, Jan 15th 12:00pm – 3:00pm
…
Gavin, Mike and Jeff stopped by today to take some shots for their upcoming film, Coast Modern. Can't wait to see the finished product.
We recently did some work for a neighbor who needed help replacing a worn, dilapidated (and ill-matched) door. We think it turned out well.
…
Casie has some things at ModApple that might look great under your Christmas tree (and later in your kitchen, or office, or…). Check it out — and order this week to make it in time.
