Spray Paint

Terry Border, of Bent Objects fame, has posted an image that not only do I love, but it ties in with the theme of this blog. Click over to his site and check out "Spray Paint". While you're there, spend an hour or two looking through his old posts. He's a creative genius.

2nd Annual Bungalow Blog Tour

Welcome to the 1916 Portland Bungalow! I've been racking my brain trying to come up with something interesting to post here today. I figured it would be best to talk about something that I know a lot about, preferably an area in which I can truly call myself an "Expert". Then it dawned on me...

Gallery of Unfinished Projects

There have been a lot of projects started around here in the past 4 years, but not too many that I can truly call "Finished". Here are just a few things that have fallen victim to the 80/20 rule at the 1916 Portland Bungalow.

Kitchen

This is where our 1948 O'keefe & Merritt stove will go. Now that I finished hooking up the vent-a-hood, this is the last thing before I can call the kitchen done.

Dining Room

The dining room still needs the windows to be finished and the rest of the wainscotting and plate rail installed.

Plumbing

This is how the kitchen sink drains.  Luckily for me the utility sink sits directly below the kitchen sink.  It's been in this 'temporary' configuration for three years now!

Furnace
No pictures of this, but I have a full run of ductwork that runs behind the kitchen cabinets that isn't hooked up to the furnace yet.

Back Yard

The fence is done being built, but still needs a coat of stain.  Also, the old deck was tied into the floor joists of the addition off the back of the house.  This addition is known as "The Hot Tub Room", because oddly enough, it has a hot tub in it!  It will eventually become a sun porch.
In the near-term, I need to do something with those exposed joists.

Previous Bungalow in tour: Northland Stories 

Next Bungalow in tour: Foxcroft

I'm Venting Here

Who remembers the kitchen rebirth post?  Nobody?  Maybe that's because it was almost THREE YEARS AGO!!  So why is that such a big deal?  Because I've had my fancy new Vent-a-Hood range hood installed since then, but I had never gotten around to installing the actual vent, so it was nothing more than an overpriced overhead light.

Well... NOT ANYMORE!!!  I finally got around to installing the ductwork so I can now use the vent.

Step 1: Drill a small pilot hole all the way through your wall.  For this you'll need a very long drill bit - about a 12" x 1/4" bit is what I have.  Determine the center of your duct on the inside of your cabinet and then proceed to drill a hole all the way through your wall.  I know, it's a little unnerving.  Make sure you hold the drill perfectly perpendicular to the wall otherwise the hole you cut on the outside will not line up properly with the hole you cut on the inside.

Step 2:  Cut the siding.  Measure out from your pilot hole equal distances on all four sides, taking into account your vent size, plus any trim pieces you want to add.

I got lucky and set my circular saw depth perfectly on the first try (3/4").  It cut all the way through the siding, but left the tar paper untouched underneath.

 Step 3: Cut a hole through the exterior sheathing.  Make sure it is a little bigger than the duct you will be stuffing through it.  I used a combination of a jigsaw, sawzall, and a keyhole saw to get it done.  Don't forget to make sure there are no electrical wires or plumbing running through the space BEFORE you start cutting.

Step 4:  Cut a hole through the back of your cabinet and the interior wall.  Use the same method as you did on the exterior.  If you took your time, measured right, and are an expert with the saw, your holes will line up perfectly and will be about 1/4" bigger than the duct.  If you are like me, it will be a jagged mess that needs trimming until you can force the ductwork through without too much bending and warping.

Step 5: Install the vent and trim pieces.  My vent has a round duct that you stick through the hole you cut, and a square flange that gets nailed into the exterior sheathing.  I then use some brick moulding to surround it.  All gaps were caulked to keep the water out.

Step 6: Install the ductwork and caulk the hell out of it!

 

Now I can boil pasta without steaming up the kitchen windows, or grill chicken on the stovetop without setting off the smoke detectors. Yay!