Teaser

Do you recognize this house?

Happy Anniversary House!

It was 8 years ago today that we moved in to the 1916 Portland Bungalow, so I thought I'd celebrate with a blog post!

You haven't heard much from me lately because I haven't been doing any house projects.  I got a little burnt out a couple years ago (when I finally gave-in and paid someone to finish painting the dining room).  Since then I've been spending my free time doing other techie stuff, not related to the house.

The top of our list for this spring has been to get the back yard in order so we can eat dinner outside during the summer months and have company over for backyard S'mores parties. ;-)

I started by taking a week off work for Spring Break, which involved 9-straight days of back-breaking work to get the yard tilled and the patio laid.  I ended up taking about 10 yards of topsoil out of the back yard, one wheelbarrow at a time!

Then I spend another few weeks breaking up the concrete footings from the old deck and leveling the yard out (there was about a 4" crown of dirt covering most of the yard).  I could tell when I got back to level because I found about 5 ancient sprinkler heads from the original sprinkler system that were buried by 4" of dirt).

Yesterday was the icing on the cake; it took me a whole two hours to lay all of the sod and have an insta-lawn!  Tonight was our first dinner on the patio, and it was fantastic!

Seamless Gutter Installation

Today I had the guys from Great NW Gutters out to put new rain gutters on the house. (Thanks to Dawn at Bungalowcious for the referral)  I'm quite happy with the results. 

Porch Roof Gutter

 I chose the steel gutters with the plain white baked on enamel finish, in the 4" K style.  The rafter tails were already notched for this size gutter, so the installation was pretty straight forward.  I had them use straps instead of spikes to mount the gutters, not wanting to put any more holes in the rafter tails.

There were no gutter guards on the old plastic cheapo-gutters.  They had more flora and fauna living in them than my yard!  They were PVC gutters with leaky seams and clogged downspouts.

This is a downspout funnel on the front porch going into the drain.  This should hopefully help reduce the amount of slimy green stuff growing on the porch, making it teflonesque during the rainy months.

You can see the guys did a great job of structuring the downspouts in the back.  Both of these lead into a funnel and into the drain.  I was going to disconnect these from the drain, but their proximity to the future egress window made me think twice.

3rd Annual Bungalow Blog Tour

Rare Archival Footage Unearthed!

I was able to find and upload a walkthrough of the 'Ol 1916 Portland Bungalow that our Realtor shot for us before we moved in.  I was able to come out to Portland from Houston, but my wife was not, so this video is the only thing she saw of the house before we bought it!

It's kinda long, but I thought you might enjoy it.  I can't believe how many things I see in the video that I totally forgot I had ripped out long ago (crappy old mailbox, toilet, dining room light fixture, etc.)

Next Tour Stop:  foxcroft.blogspot.com

Previous Tour Stop: ittybittybungalow.wordpress.com

OKeefe & Merritt Rebuild Begins

Disassembled O'Keefe & Merritt Gas Stove

I started disassembling our O'Keefe & Merritt antique gas stove so all of the mechanical parts can be refurbished.  I'm going to send the burner heads, burner valves, thermostat, and other stuff to Antique Gas Stoves in California, where they will re-porcelain, rebuild, and rechrome all the pieces to make them as good as new.

Old gas burner heads, burner tubes, and the manifold with the valves and thermostat

After I get the stove working like new, I'll use it for a while to see how I like cooking on a vintage stove.  If I still like it, I'll probably do a more thorough restoration and have all of the chrome redone as well replacing a few missing odds and ends.

Electrical Panel Location

Location of the New Main Electrical Panel

My latest basement sub-project is to get the wall ready for the new electrical service upgrade that is going to be done soon.  The old panel will act as a junction box and all of the circuits will be moved to the other side of the basement door where the new 200A panel will be located.  I need to frame the wall so the electrician can install the panel.

What's proving to be the most difficult thing is to find a 6' door to replace the hacked-up one that is currently in use.  If a some PO hadn't cut a doggie door in it, I could have probably reused it.  My search through The Rebuilding Center came up with one door that will work, but it doesn't have a window, which I've grown accustomed to.  I'll keep looking around, but I may have to settle for the door sans light.

My Neighborhood is OFFICIALLY Badass!

Don't believe me? See for yourself:

Rose City Park ranks 31st overall, with a badass-ness score of 41.61, putting us right between Irvinton and Sellwood (not a bad place to be, actually!). This makes my neighborhood solidly Badass, which is slightly better than "Rad", but not quite up to "Super Badass" standards. Maybe if they open another strip club...

You can see more on the video.

Basement Roadmap

Now that I've got the budget for it, I'm getting a plan together for what I'm going to do in the basement this summer.  I've got to get some bids, figure out the permitting process, and then see how much of it I will be able to afford.

I hope to have the basement in a semi-finished state by the end of the summer.  That will make it "usable", if not "livable".

• Upgrade Electrical Service
• I plan on also moving the panel to the other side of the basement door so it won't be near water sources.
• New Windows
• Four small awning windows around the perimeter
• One egress window in the new guest room
• Plumbing Fixes
• Fix the wonky drain pipe coming from the kitchen sink
• Fix the plumbing in the basement bathroom
• Run PEX everywhere
• Add a winder stair
• I should be able to get more headroom at the bottom of the stairwell if I add a winder at the top.
• New walls and insulation
• I need to frame new walls around the perimeter and insulate them.
• Seismic Retrofit
• Since I'll have access to the sill plates in the entire basement, now's the time to make it a little more earthquake resistant.

I'm sure that's more than I will be able to get done this summer, but it's a good goal to shoot for.  Wish me luck, and stay tuned!

Tour of the Basement

I've been keeping Flannery's drop box service in business again.  Last week I rented and filled another 10 yard dumpster with more basement debris.  There's still a little more left to demo, but I think the rest will fit in the back of the pickup.  Since things are going gangbusters on the basement, I thought I'd give y'all a tour!  Here are all of the areas.  I stood in the middle of the basement and rotated counter-clockwise for each picture.

Family Room

Family Room

This quarter of the basement will become the family room where we'll have a sectional and a big TV on the wall to the right.  The open space measures a whopping 13'x18', which will make it the biggest room in the house. We're planning on decorating it in an art-deco old Hollywood motif.

Play Room / Homework Area

Poker Room Homework Area

This section is about the same size as the family room.  It will have a card table and be used for games and homework.  I'll probably put a computer in there somewhere too.  The two posts will have a bar-top built between them.  I'm hoping for a soapstone top, with the columns being trimmed out in proper proportion to the arts & crafts aesthetic.

Bathroom

Basement Bathroom Location

The bathroom in the basement will occupy the same place it did before, but will be about 2 feet wider in each direction.  We're thinking of a standup shower and a separate soaking tub.

Guest Room

Future Basement Guest Room

This area still needs some demo work done, but it will be our guest room when completed.  The little panelboard rectangle on the right is covering a broken window, which will be replaced by a code-compliant egress window.

Laundry Room

Laundry Room

The laundry room has a door to the outside, a utility sink, and our washer and dryer.  I plan on having the electrical service upgraded, and the panel moved to the other side of the door.  I might even put a dog-washing area next to the sink.

Mechanical Room

Mechanical Room

I will build a small room around the furnace and the on-demand hot water heater.  It will also house the main panel for all of the communications and the plumbing manifold.

My Side Project Comes Alive

I've been working on another website off-and-on for quite some time.  Over the last few weeks I've been spending all of my free time getting it in shape and Ready for Prime Time.  Well, I think it finally is.

 

NewClassicDesigns.com is going to be a site containing all kinds of resources for people looking to decorate and remodel (respectfully, of course) their classic American homes.  For now, it only has one featured home, which happens to be one of my favorite examples of how to remodel a bungalow, Portland's own Bungalowcious.  I have also added a directory of artisan lighting, ceramics, and textiles.

 

If you own a home that is at or near the end of a remodel and would like it considered for a feature on the site, drop me a line.  I'm also open to any thoughts or suggestions about the site.

Stanley 2 Gallon Wet-Dry Vac Giveaway

Update: We have a winner!  Congratulations Aidan, I hope this little guy proves useful.

Once again, I have been provided with a great prize to give away to one of my readers. This time, CSN Stores told me I could give away a Stanley 2-Gallon Wet/Dry vac. It looks like a great little portable unit that can be used to cleanup after those small projects that seem to crop up all the time, like cleaning up all that dog hair that accumulates in the corners or under your home office furniture.

I'll make the rules the same as when I gave away the mailbox.

On March 11, 2011, I will randomly choose one person from my list of followers.  To add yourself to the list, just click the "Follow" button in the right sidebar of this page.  Do it now! The winner will be responsible for paying any taxes or fees that might apply (like, for instance if you live in Canada).  Shipping is free, so don't worry about that.  Good luck!

Bye Bye Bunnies!

It's not that I have anything against those fuzzy, long-eared, carrot-munching rodents. It's their dusty little cousins that I can't stand. Whenever I sweep my floors, I end up having to pick the dust bunnies out of the broom bristles. Well, not any more.

Broom Groomer Dustpan

I just got my new Broom Groomer dustpan from Quirky, a social product development company.  It's got a row of teeth that comb out the dust bunnies so you don't have to pick them out by hand.  It also has a couple other really nice features.  The handle is designed so you step on it to hold the dustpan in place so you don't have to bend over.  It's also got a rubber lip on the leading edge that eliminates that little line of dust that lesser dustpans leave behind.

A community of over 340 people came together  (including myself) to design the Broom Groomer, just as they do every week for other products at quirky.com.  You should check it out; it's pretty cool stuff.

Dining Room Wainscott Progress Report

Wainscott and Plate Rail Installed

I got motivated to do some work in the dining room. I literally got more done in the past two days than I have in the past two years! Seeing Bungalowcious' finished interior really got me wanting to finish this thing already.

I spent about 9 hours on Saturday getting all of the new moulding cut and installed. Now it's just a matter of filling nail holes, priming, and painting. I'm hoping to be 100% done with the dining room by the end of the year.

Bungalow Dining Room Under Construction

Here's a shot of the other corner. Notice that two sets of the window sashes still need to be sanded and painted. I'm not looking forward to doing that in this cold weather.

Back Door Strike Plate

Missing Strike Plate

 The back door of the bungalow originally had a strike plate for a mortised lockset, but it was long ago filled in and made to work for a modern door latch.  The repair filler had cracked and allowed the strike plate to loosen, and it eventually fell off completely.

Some of the tools needed

Since I happen to have plenty of the Abatron WoodEpox left over from my window sill restoration, I used it to fill in the old hole and provide a fresh start.

WoodEpox is a two-part epoxy dough that you can use to restore rotten or missing wood.  It has the consistency of Play-Doh, but when it cures it is very hard and lightweight.  The gloves pictured are worn while kneading the two parts together.  The screwdriver is for digging out the old filler, and the putty knife is for smoothing the new filler before it hardens.  I forgot to include a 1" chisel for cutting the mortise for the strikeplate and a drill for predrilling holes for the two mounting screws, as well as a 1" spade bit for cutting a hole for the latch.

Hole Filled with WoodEpox

Here you can see that I've filled in the old hole with the Abatron. Take your time to get it as smooth as possible, since this stuff is very hard when cured and you can't just sand away large bumps or irregularities.

I let the WoodEpox cure overnight and then used a 1" chisel to cut a mortise for the new strikeplate. After 24 hours the epoxy is semi-cured to a point where it is hard, but not as hard as it's going to get. This makes it relatively easy to work with a chisel. Be sure the mortise fits the strikeplate precisely. A good tight mortise will add a significant amount of holding power to what the two screws will provide.

Here's the finished product after I drilled pilot holes for the screws and used a 1" spade bit for the latch hole.

Back From the Abyss

I'm Baaaaaack!  Miss me?

You may have noticed that the blog got a redesign.  Well, that's not all I've been up to!  I'll have some fresh pictures and updates in the Dining Room, as well as some old posts from this summer that I never got around to writing.  So stay tuned; I'll have some new posts coming very soon.

Back Steps

I had an unexpected project come up this weekend that had to be started and finished by today.  

When I tore down my deck two years ago, I never got around to building a new set of stairs coming off the back of the house.  We are in the middle of doing a refinance, and the appraiser made our appraisal contingent upon a set of stairs being built.  This weekend.  Crap; my normal process of spending weeks, if not months, planning something in my head was out the window.  I had to improvise.

Here's what I came up with.  Not bad for about 8 hours work, if I do say so myself. (and I do.)

New Back Steps

As you can see, the floor joists still need a little cleaning up.  I'll get to it, really.

Party at the Bungalow!

Block Party Today!

We're having a block party on NE 58th between Siskiyou and Stanton from noon 'till 8:00 PM on Sunday, July 25.

There'll be a band, water wars, and BBQ in the streets.

I'm hoping to meet some of you in person, so stop by and don't be shy.

Our house is 3007, about mid-block on the west side of the street

See you there!

Musings from a nine year-old

Riley

My nine year-old had me in stitches yesterday when she said, and I quote:

"Do you think Riley's favorite color is black, or white?"

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