The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Let’s start with the “good”. The flooring is finished and I’m finished with doing anymore flooring. The final total for flooring in the remodel was 75 boxes of tile and 25 boxes of laminate flooring. In the end, I only had one box of tile and three boxes of laminate left over. 

Wall trim will be added as soon as the cabinets are installed.

The “bad” news is that the concrete work was a disaster. The contractor had no idea what he was doing. Erika and I made the BIG mistake of choosing someone who was recommended by a relative. He was also the cheapest. This was a huge mistake. We did not check his credentials and blindly hired him. Okay, I admit it…we were foolish and stupid. This guy is a con-artist and he sure conned us. Here’s just a small sample of the “ugly” mess that was left behind.

The concrete is full of waves. I can't find a single flat spot!

Many areas were not even finished...it's just a lumpy mess!

The gaps were either too large or small or completely curved!

This was his idea of repairing a crack I found in the brand new concrete!

This is so bad I can't even look at it!!

Fortunately, the contractor that installed our block wall a year ago has agreed to make everything right. He’ll remove all of the concrete mess and do the job correctly. He was sick to his stomach when he saw what the other person did. He sympathizes with our dilemma and has offered to give us a really good price for his work. I just wish we had not been so cheap in the first place. Well, so much for installing the gazebo during Golden Week.

Speaking of remodel…I’m currently building the last of the cabinets for our home. Seven cabinets for the guest bedroom, cabinets for the utility room, doors for the kitchen cabinets, and cabinets for places not yet determined. Please stay tuned…

If seeing is believing...

...then, black holes exist. Wow!!!!!

This picture was taken by a group of telescopes strategically located around the Earth. What that means is that a telescope the size of the Earth took this image. Incredible! Basically, a black hole is a gigantic sun (6.5 billion suns) which collapsed onto itself (due to gravity) into something much smaller. The gravity is so dense that nothing can escape...not even light. That's why black holes are, well, black. The center of each galaxy has at least one black hole. They are so small and so far away that it was thought to be impossible to take an image of one. This is an interesting article from the N.Y. Times explaining this incredible image in more detail.

When I see an image like this I'm reminded about how trivial our  every day troubles are. This is an amazing example of humans working together to achieve an impossible goal. Fantastic!!

New project: The front yard (Driveway and Pergola)

It’s been a couple of months since I posted anything on the blog. I’ve been very busy trying to finish the remodel before the end of June. The tiling is complete on the second floor.

I’m working on the final section of laminate flooring in the hallway leading to the guest bedrooms. After completion of the flooring, wall trim will be added.

The last big items, I will be making several built-in cabinets in the guest bedroom, under the stairs, and in the utility room. The kitchen will require some finishing touches including stained glass doors on two cabinets.

Cabinets above the washing machine will be made to hide the water faucet and to provide storage for laundry supplies. Shelving will be used to provide storage for guest towels. A  built-in seat will also be available.

Both kitchen cabinets will have stained glass. New doors above the refrigerator will also have stained glass. Lots of new trim will be added around the counters to finish the kitchen.

Several built-in cabinets will provide a useful storage area in this triangular shaped space.

The built-in cabinets on both sides of the desk will blend in the (soon-to-be) newly painted desk. All of the clutter will be neatly stored away. I'm looking forward to starting this project.

Did I mention that I was very busy? Well, the front yard is also being worked on.

The pergola will go here. It should provide a nice area for our guests to have a bar-b-que when the weather is not so nice. The pergola is completely screened from insects. Please stay tuned for the installation.

A new driveway and concrete floor for a large pergola (10 x 14) are being poured next week.

During Golden Week, Erika and I will be assembling the pergola. I’m guessing that it will take most of the vacation to finish that project. Thankfully the pergola comes with an instructional video on how to assemble it. There are a lot of parts! It should be fun...I hope.