2008 amy butler fabrics

i keep thinking i've narrowed down my search for fabrics
for the dining room and then a new email in my inbox confuses me again.

here are some new fabrics from amy butler for the new year





click here to find out more amy butler

also, one of these days i need to post a drawing of my plans for the dining room
so you can see what i'm talking about. when i find a bit of free time,
i will do that...

snowy feet

since we are right smack in the middle of our minnesota winter, my first purchase after the remodel began was a Chilewich mat for the entryway.

it is supposed to dry quickly and resist mold and mildew. great after the many trips out to the park with the dog.


i ordered mine from velocity art & design

finally the dust has settled

now it time to clean up!

we have much more left to do for our phase one remodel, but I thought I would share a few before and after images for what we have completed so far. the cabinet removal, closet removal and the addition of our fabulous new floor has really made a big difference.

if only riley could figure out how to run on the floor, without it ending in a Scooby slide...



new closet on it's way (will currently be riley's room)



looking toward bedroom



dining room, looking toward bedroom

A Carpenter's Best Tool

Many tools come in handy for a carpenter, especially when they accompany some of our more popular sayings, like "When in doubt, hit it with a hammer" or "Measure once. Cut twice." But my favorite saying is "OWW!" The occasional pain reliever can be the most accommodating tool for a carpenter, especially when one's been kneeling on a concrete subfloor all day.
*WARNING* Use pain reliever's sparingly, even over the counter, for obvious reasons, also the more you use them the less they work.

Help! My dog is a glue sniffer!

Riley has become addicted to the tongue and groove adhesive. I can't place a bottle down anywhere without him sneaking over and taking a whiff. Bad dog! Go chase a squirrel!


Look at yourself! Oh, how low you've sunk!

Little carpenter trick for anyone laying tongue and groove flooring. When gluing the inside of the groove, only glue the bottom of the groove. The directions will say glue both sides of the groove but this is a big, sloppy mistake. If you glue the top of the groove then you increase your chance for glue to squeeze through the seam and you'll spend more time cleaning than laying floor. This trick was passed down from a floor guy three decades in the business. Thanks Roger.

Riley Approved

After 2 days of demo including the removal of 1 4x5 closet, 340 sq/ft of tile, 280 sq/ft of carpet, I am tired. The hardest part of the demo was hammer drilling the mortar to separate it from the concrete sub floor. The third day included rubbish removal, framing of the closet with 3 5/8 steel studs and beginning the layout of the floor. As you can see the bamboo floor is Riley approved.

bedroom before and after

phase 1 of the remodel has begun! of course, i was at work today while carpenter worked his butt off from 8am until exactly 5pm. condo association rules...

below is a little sampling of the destruction.

here is what our bedroom used to look like...

before


before


and now

It's not easy being green.

Kermit had it right. It's not easy being green. In trying to maintain an environmentally conscience remodel I've been in contact with several green building suppliers with the hopes of being properly informed about their products and their specs. It's like trying to get blood from an orange. When inquiring about product specs I am often told (this happened six times) that I will receive a call back with that information and never receive one or get a call back 2 weeks later still uninformed. They constantly have to contact their suppliers and more often than not they don't have the product in stock nor carry that product anymore despite still being available for purchase on their websites. It's much easier dealing with a regular building supplier who is well informed about codes and standards as well as their products and actually have them in stock. AND if you ask, they can and will guide you in a more green friendly remodel. Wow. Someone who actually knows what they are doing. I'm jealous.