Yesterday and today I began finishing the prep work to tile the shower. The shower stud walls were first insulated with foil backed fiberglass sound insulation and then covered with a black 6 mil poly as a moisture shield. Then I attached the cement board with ceramic coated screws. I then used a portion of the tile setting compound to fill the corner gaps, butt joints and screw holes. Being carful to not make bumps and to level out any areas where there may be deviations from a flat true surface. And, just like drywall, a joint tape, the fiberglass variety, must be used over the gaps before applying the thin set. Today, my job was to put down a thin concrete floor in the shower. I first put down some mesh, staying about 6 inches back from the drain. Then I dumped one bags worth of ready mixed topping compound on the floor and spread it out, being careful to insure there was a slope from the wall to the drain. The drain is dead center in the shower stall. Before I dumped the concrete mix I made a level line around the circumference of the shower and kept the high point of my wet concrete consistently half an inch below that line all around the inside of the shower. In a day or so when this is all dry I will then apply two coats of the Red Gard moisture barrier to the walls and floor of the shower. This 1 gallon pail of moisture barrier is over $100 with taxes and I need two. Once I got off the floor after paying for the supplies at the Home Despot, I made my way home and got right at it. I reckon in three days I will start tiling the shower.
My first project in Manitoba was a Greene and Greene inspired table. I built it from some Manitoba Green Ash (some people call it dirt wood and most burn it in their fireplaces and wood stoves 'round here) that was dried to 10% moisture content, so I was told. Guess what, it was not. I found out because the maple strengthening stretchers that I had dovetailed into the table top from the underside, their length did not shrink. But, the ash table top sure did, across the grain. I should have known better than make these stretchers the same length as the width of the table top. If I had cut the stretchers one quarter of an inch shorter on each side, I would not had the edge trim boards pop off. I should have taken a few shots of the table with the damage showing. Anyway, after that lesson of how to build smart with solid lumber, the table is now repaired and the pictures below are the completed table, again. The top is not wet, it is the gloss finish I was shooting for. I built this table as a trial run and developed a lot of jigs and patterns to mass produce it. So, even though I had to repair the table, I now know thoroughly what to do whenever I make a run of these. I almost sold the table for $700 and I'm glad I didn't. I would have been sheepishly explaining myself and blaming someone else for the wood with too high of a moisture content. But, not really. I never duck responsibility. I take my lumps and lickings when they come, dust myself off and get back on the horse. One of my other Indian names is "Barry Rides A Long Time". In between dreaming up Indian names for myself and fixing prototype tables, I had a chance to stack the three sets of speakers I built in the teevee room. That's what the other pictures are. Plus some completed shots of the mini Panasonic speakers that I wrapped in Myrtle burl. I'm not sure if anyone reads this stuff, but you see, this is an exercise in harnessing the internet for future web commerce. One must be net savvy and disciplined to utilize all the social media aspects and tools to move products. So, this blog is not only to hook readers and purchasers, I hope. But, to also train myself. I need to develop my web chops, so to speak. Hopefully I will have something worthy of some pixels tomorrow, or the day after. And, one more thing. If you can please leave a comment if you think this table will find a place in sub $1000 dinning table market. There are also several pictures of it scattered through out this web site.
Here is the You Tube link to the Grass whip in action. Sorry I couldn't find a better looking model. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mveTfUE0BnI&feature=youtu.be The picture above is the ambidextrous grass whip, replaceable blades on both sides and is the version in the You Tube Video. I think that's enough blogging for one day! But, learning how to use all these web tools, its empowering. Now to conquer the world, first we take Headingley, then we take Winnipeg!
These are some pictures of some speakers that I picked up in Surrey. I bought them to apply a veneer of some type of burl. I finally did that. In a couple of days, the completed speakers will be posted.
After some thought, I thought I would create a blog. Now, I don’t know if this will harm my chances at selling someone a piece of furniture or securing my services at a pretty healthy hourly rate. What will be, will be. I suppose if I didn’t have something in the beginning and still don’t in the end, am I really any worse off? Who knows? I might get a job as a writer, after all, I have enough English credits under my belt for a minor. My path has been a long and winding one. I used to be a procurement professional, project, risk, property, lease and maintenance manager. Then I left a couple of jobs to be a stay at home dad, earning extra money building custom furniture and other more specialized forms of woodwork. In this role I found myself in Regina, my home town, then Surrey (the armpit of B.C.) and now Winnipeg, or more correctly, Headingley. A small town on the edge of Winnipeg that’s major industry is correctional centers. It is a small safe community and this is where my boys will attend to their elementary learning after being in three schools in two years. The most foreign thing too, is, now I find myself a single father. I don’t think we even made to ten years of marriage. Oh well, it was not my choice, but I sure as hell helped set up the dynamics that resulted in the dissolution of our marriage. A sincere regret. My boys are a precious gift from the Big Guy in the Sky. If I am having a bad day it gets much better when I pick them up from school. My ex-wife is an executive in her industry, so I tend to have them most of the time whilst she travels and earns the money to keep two houses running, thank you. I’m okay with that. I have never had any preconceived notions on who should be the bread winner. I guess I am a product of my generation. I have found though, because I have been with these guys every day since birth, it is damn difficult when they are not around. Rattling around in this big house all alone can be tough. I need these guys. I am trying to raise two well-adjusted boys that will live honorably and do no harm. One thing I am really proud of is; when my brother and I were little boys, we would never lie - if one sibling told the other to say “Honest to God”. With no prompting from me, and I don’t know where they picked it up, are doing the same. That’s my boys. I think how one worships is one’s own choice, so I will let them live and worship as they wish and if they decide to be a Buddhist later, go for it. However, I have tried to instill in them that there is a higher power (somebody has to be responsible for this) and you must let your heart and conscience be your guide. I tell them “character” is what you do when no one is looking. Now, with that out of the way about who I am, how I got here and where I am going, I will try to document my trials and tribulations as I build a business that will be focused on precision woodwork (examples will be shown) while renovating this house. This big house on two acres was supposed to be our family home. Now, it is an albatross that I need to shake. To keep up with the yard work, the snow removal and the expense of two heated full size buildings, takes a lot of work and stamina. Did I mention, one of my Indian names is Chief Stamina? At the tender age of 49, man, it is tough to keep up! So, in the best financial interests of my ex and I, I am renovating the house. This includes; making the two basement bedrooms into legal bedrooms with the proper egress windows (requires concrete wall cutting), re-jigging the master bedroom, adding a walk in closet with organizers, a totally new en-suite with wrap around tiles and a renewed claw foot tub. Being that I have built several kitchens in past lives, I am also installing a totally new kitchen in this house too. I have managed to do quite a bit so far. I have stripped all the wall paper in the house, painted two bedrooms, installed a new French door to the patio and ripped out all the old funky and stunky shag rug and laid oak hardwood throughout the main floor. It is a major project to be sure. We did manage to pick up the house for a good price. With the renovations, we should be able dispose of the last piece of matrimonial property and walk away with a few K each. Those are pictures that are posted below. Some of them are of the starting point and the rest are shots of the work during the long running construction phase. I promise, this house will be market ready by October. The last thing I want is to live here for one more winter and keep on top of the snow removal and expense of natural gas heat. My goal for the next couple of years is not only to build a business, but to also build my next home. I don’t think I will be ready to do that once this house is sold, so I intend to rent for a year or so. This business I am building will be vertically integrated. I will source the raw materials (locally grown ash, oak, maple and elm) mill what I need and sell the surplus. Thereby, controlling costs, quality of materials and giving me another revenue stream. While this is all going on at my yet to be secured rural rental home, I will, at the same time, mill the material for the future timber framed home. I just hope that I don’t run out of steam…I like a challenge. Some shots before the wrecker's bar and sledge got to work - that being me. Some shots of the original finishes and an old drafty patio door. A few pictures of the newly painted garage door, gable ends and the empty flower bed that has to go. Notice the break in the line of the flower bed. It is leaning and serves no purpose, plus the front sidewalk needs to raised 4 inches, so it is going to get in the way of progress. These are pictures of the newly constructed closet walls, en-suite shower, the new entry to the master bedroom, a new arched entry into the sitting room where a broom closet and cupboard once sat and a the new French doors with faux etching. All the wiring and plumbing is complete and up to code, plus all the drywall is done and it is ready for paint. For posterity, one more shot of the kitchen before it is torn out.
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Barry A. CroweA newly single dad of two beautiful boys. University educated, procurement and project manager professional forging ahead building my business, raising my boys, renovating the family home, living and loving. Archives
March 2015
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