why does it have to get darker earlier in the winter?

So we both know its been a long time again. And that I previously promised to post more frequently.

The truth is, nothing interesting has happened really. A lot of details getting hashed out really. But a few important things have happened.

I moved out of my storage facility which I had been storing things in since I moved to Toronto in December 2005.



Garage door is a done deal.



I passed my structural inspection. This is a big deal. It could of been a nightmare, but some attention to detail, some schmoozing of the inspector and having a friend put a good word in for me at the city all came together for a single inspection pass. That is a huge weight off my shoulders.

My alarm system is in. This is something that has been weighing on me for a while and i'm glad it's done. With more valuable materials going into the house I wasn't ready to rely only on my ingenuity of re-enforcing locks and door frames. It's good to hear the chirp of my alarm set whenever i leave the house. Granted Detroit police aren't known for fast responses, but I have half a dozen neighbors i could put a call into if it goes off and they would have my back.

Oh and we've gone full blown on the porch. Got the floor reframed and sheeted. Then framed the roof incorrectly (working off a bum print) then reframed it right and got things underway.

Here are some pictures of Andreas and I sheathing the porch and framing the tiny pediment gable.





Also when i bought the house the porch had pressure treated deck boards for the floor...not exactly period. I was able to get some salvaged 3.5" oak flooring from the Detroit Architectural Salvage Warehouse for $1 a square foot. W00T! It will look perfect period.

I'll get you some better pictures of the porch soon. It looks so straight and true it makes me tear up a little.

Come quickly December 21!

Travel down a road and back again

My friend Dan, who always tries to convince us he is a bad guy, has a bunch of tattoos. He's got a japanese character on the back of his neck and i asked him what it stood for. I was guessing it was going to be something like 'hey i'm a bad guy' or 'carpentry badass'. But instead he told me it ment 'friend', which fits him and my saturday crew very well.



I love it when a project can be knocked out in a day. Plenty of preperation, no oversights, and flawless execution with a satisfying completion.



We roofed the garage today. Nevermind the fact that the shingles on the garage cost 42% more then the ones on the roof. (same shingles, oil prices drove up their cost over the last 6 months) With 4 nailguns blazing, it was a great day with my supportive friends.



The roof area was 675sq ft....that was the same size as my first apartment. God has been good to me. The 9/12 pitch was a bit of a pain, but it was a one time sacrifice for a roomy 'upstairs' in my garage.



My dedicated legion started early and pushed me to finish. Jodi, Keith, Dan, Edwin and Dustin made it happen. Part of me wants to pin all of them down and tattoo 'friend' on them.

Beyond the fact there was frost on my truck in the morning, i still managed a mild sunburn to the face.



In other news i poured 5 concrete footings for the porch foundation....it was a long lonely night mixing a dozen bags of concrete with a drill, but they turned out just great. But not worth posting pictures of. Hopefully this will be the start of a long stretch of porch work.

oh and BTW the song 'thank you for being a friend' was composed by Andrew Gold. I'm a fan. So don't be confused that i've been watching early 90's sitcoms with old women and underlying social issues.
Thankyou for being a friend