Random Exterior photos

since everything looks so GOOD with the new camera.....

Get your Geek on

CAT5. RG6. Quad Shield.  DVI. HDMI.

if any/all of these things sound familiar to you, you might be a geek.

like me.

DC is experiencing a June heatwave.  its been 90+ for days on end.  and in the still not-air-conditioned house on Q street, you can go ahead and add 10-15 degrees to whatever it is outside.

so it was the PERFECT time to pull 3000+ feet of audio/video/computer cable through the open walls of the house!

I had this idea [usually i say "we" but for this one its definitely "I"]  of wiring the house for not just the 21st century, but maybe the 22nd century too.  HD screens all over the place. a universal remote that controlled even the kitchen stove with the push of a button.  speakers that allowed you to play music anytime, anywhere...even/especially when you're on the "throne"...the ability to surf the web while watching a dozen NFL games and a "Teen Mom" marathon.

I wanted it all.

BUT....after a some price estimates on the equipment and labor, I decided that I could not have it "all".

but I could have most of it!  but at a price....I would need to do the work myself. [and recruit some homeboys for the task as well]

so I set about getting on blogs and other sites that told you how to wire your house up for all the latest and greatest stuff.  HDTV. Multi-room audio.  A powerful in-home network.  It was alot to digest.

Then I designed a system in my house that reflected some of those things that I wanted.  No, theres no need to have speakers in EVERY room of the house [but I do have one in the bathroom----ha]

the next step was to buy the wires.  I had several thousand feet of the stuff delivered to my place.  it was slightly overwhelming.

then came D-Day: Installation.  Jenny was planning to sand those old doors we've been stripping, so I wouldn't have my usual tag-team partner to lend a hand, so I had to recruit some new blood.  big shout outs to Darryl and Ian for grinding it out with us in the hot hot heat.

our day went like this: drilling holes. pulling wire. drinking water.  re-pulled wires that were pulled wrong the first time.  drinking more water.   sweat. sweat. more sweat.

i dont think I'll ever forget how hot it was that day.

in the end: we made a pretty good dent on the project.  [which, of course] turned out to be MUCH bigger than expected.  It took another 2+ days to actually finish it

why the rush?  because they were about to put up the drywall, so we needed to get our hustle on to make it before then.

and my reward: another full weekend cleaning up the wires once the drywall is painted...yay!

all the sweaty photos are here.

New Stuff....

so, things are moving rapidly as we get ready to put up the drywall and begin to make this place look like a real house [and not some surreal half-completed construction site]

new things are popping up....like outdoor water faucets and electrical plugs.  new windows. insulation.  brickwork.  exterior painting.

its looking good, bit now the glory is in the details.  lots of decisions to make in a small amount of time..whoa!

pics here.

New Camera!

the pics are going to look MUCH better now because Jenny got a hot new camera for her birthday....and since we're sharing and all, I've been using it at the house.  Check out the latest snapshots below....

New Windows!

New windows just going in now....cooooool

Strippin'! [part II]

so we've been continuing to strip those old doors!   even though we found out that stripping old lead-paint doors in DC can only be done AFTER you've taken the safety course or something...ummm yeah.  we'll sign up for the next one.

since the last post, we've switched the stripping chemical we're using from a harsh nasty chemical that made you high off its' fumes to a more serene concoction that smells like an orange grove.  It actually works MUCH better and faster.

we're about 85% done now with these doors.  we just need to finish filling the divots with putty and then sand it down smooth.  the crew will then paint the doors.  we'll also want to get some of that old school hardware for the doors if we can find it for a decent price.

all in all...the best time i NEVER want to have again

New Roof...

so we FINALLY have that new roof. [the first step in getting the new roof DECK!]
it looks good and well-sealed up.  sturdy.  watertight [i hope]
the views are also lookin good.  cant wait to enjoy that outdoor space..July 4th is less than 30 days away, so keep the fingers crossed

let. There. Be....SKYLIGHT!

the roofing guys were there last week and FINALLY plugged in myriad of holes in the roof.  we're planning to be dry for 15 years of so now.  in the process, they cut out a hole for a skylight, which will add a bunch more natural light into the house.  its such a good move.  looks awesome already.

ahhhh, sunshine.

Facelift!

the house has a new black trim on the top and at the base of the windows.  it used to be a horrible shade of green.  but now we're back in black

the rear of the house got a coat of some red-brick paint to match the front.  looks much nicer back there now...here's the before and after photos...the new trim plus the re-pointing of the brick make a BIG difference: