When good projects go bad

I've hesitated posting about this because it doesn't fit my image of us. We are seasoned DIYers after all, we know what we are doing and we are perfectionists (at least Steve is, it only takes one anyway). I've singlehandedly refinished over 1000 feet of oak and a dozen doors after all. Steve builds furniture by hand (the hard way/the craftsman way). We don't make mistakes. (cough cough)

But then I thought to myself, "Self, you haven't got that much going on with the house that you can post on the blog to be so choosey" and "Self, aren't you supposed to be all about keeping it real?? This isn't some HGTV show after all. I mean, really."

So I decided to share our recent disappointment with one of our previous projects. The thing with DIY is you don't want the work just to look good when you finish it, you want it to last a really really long time so you don't have to do it again for God's sake.

Sometimes, it doesn't work out that way. And yes, this even happens to people like me Steve who do their homework and have been doing DIY for almost a decade. It happens because....(hear this all ye disgruntled contractors!!)--we are not professionals. And actually, now that I think about it- things can go wrong for a professionals too. So there.

So now you want the dirt right? Everyone always does.

It was late in the season, November 2007 to be exact and we were worried our dilapidated garage door would not make it another winter and would splinter and crack into pieces leaving a garage without a door, which would be certain disaster (relatively speaking of course).

We would have started sooner, but we got behind and didn't find a a replacement door  until mid-October...


From that point, it was a race to finish the door before it got too cold. The door was painted and needed to be stripped. That was my job.

I did my usual heat gun and strypeeze combo outside in the backyard and all seemed well until I put the first coat of primer and some red dye seemed to be bleeding through. Uh oh.

As it was now November and getting colder fast, we perservered and continued painting. Steve replaced the glass panes, fabricated muntins for the missing pieces, and concentrated on framing the door.

It was one of those times I felt bad for Steve because he was working outside in not very nice weather and there was no turning back. Kind of like when you go on a hike and the weather turns bad, really bad. You have to hike back, no option. That's the kind of project replacing an outside door is. You can't just leave it till next year when the weather is better etc... From this and other such experiences, I don't recommend starting a project like this so late in the season. Live and learn.

Anyway, Steve managed to get the new framing and trim in though I recall some choice words uttered and real frustration with the fit. He wasn't 100% happy with the finish carpentry.

I remember he said (almost as a warning to the errant trim), "I'll be redoing this in the Spring!" And I was like, "Oh, great. Can't wait." I didn't say that out loud mind you, just thought to myself. I'm not that dumb. Rather, I behaved more along the lines of, "I'll make dinner tonght okay?" and "I'll do the grocery shopping and bake some cookies for you okay, honey?" And Steve said in reply, "grrrr. okay."

Painfully, he managed to get the door finished before Christmas. And after that punishing end to the season, we took a much deserved break.

Happy ending right? Not exactly. This is a good project gone bad so it doesn't have a happy ending.

Remember that red stain bleeding through the white primer? Well that seemed to effect the bonding of the paint to the wood. It was either that or the cold temperatures that caused the paint to fail in several places.

So, for the past two years, I have scraped, caulked and painted that door . Steve hasn't redone the trim yet either. We've had other fish to fry and there's still some healing to do before we revisit this project.

I never posted about this because it was so annoying and I couldn't stand to write about it, but now after a few years have gone by, I have enough detatchment it's okay now. These things happen when you are a DIYer and in life. Things don't always go as planned. It's another important lesson and another life lesson that we have fully actualized through our DIY activities. Life as a house. It really fits sometimes.

Sticking Points

It is inevitable that one gets stuck on occasion. Sometimes you are waiting on materials or perhaps you sprain your ankle- things happen.

In this case, we've run into a bit of a problem with our pantry project. Nothing disastrous, but just one of those things that you have to problem-solve.

It started when we decided to put the microwave in the pantry. After all, who wants to look at a microwave in a more period style kitchen? Plus, they are space hogs and only used (by us) to heat up leftovers or Steve's coffee, which he likes super hot.

We had ordered the same brackets that we used for the upstairs pantry from Vandyke's. We liked the design and the price was right. But then we realized that to fit the microwave on our shelving, the shelves would need to be deeper and subsequently the brackets larger. Fortunately Vandyke's takes returns.

To be exact, we need brackets that are 11"- 13" for the shelf support and about 9" for the wall mounted part. Not easy to find as we have found. Or rather, not easy to find in a style we consider appropriate for the style of our home. In fact, I have found a definite shortage of arts and crafts style iron brackets on the market. Most are Victorian in design- you lucky Victorian homeowners!

We found two options during our rather extensive googling. One was an iron bracket in an Eastlake style from goantiques.com. This company says they may get more in October, but they will not give out a phone number- a red flag in my book. Not to mention how difficult it was to get a straight answer via email.

The other is solid brass and twice the price ($40/pair). The more I look, the more appealing these become.

Then, I found these from our friends over at Rejuvenation. They are $29 each and we need 16 of them!

Eastlake is not the most period appropriate for us of course, but for some reason we feel better about that style than more flowery Victorian.


Other than this issue with the brackets, things are moving along with the pantry. Here you see the cabinet grade 3/4" birch plywood we got for a steal at Owl Lumber because it was off size and they wanted to get rid of it. It's a shame to cover it up. In case anyone is wondering, we had to open up the wall to add more 2x4s and decided to add plywood for more support. We also added an outlet for the microwave.

Steve has been faithfully going to the wood shop and gluing up the shelves. They are now ready for me (the helper) to sand and stain them.


The plans are on the wall. This pantry has been planned out in great detail. When it comes to storage in our small home, we do not mess about.

I am very excited to finally have a place for my beloved Dyson vacuum cleaner and to be able to finally unpack the kitchen contents still stored in boxes in the basement.

And that is my way overdue pantry update!

It came from above

It seems the plumbing Gods didn't like me having a little joke at their expense the other day. They are currently exacting their revenge.

Last night, ready for bed, I went into the bathroom and saw a puddle of water on the floor. What could that be? I looked up and saw a drip come down from above. Uh oh.

I told Steve there was water coming from upstairs, and he said,"Are you serious??" We called the tenants to see if their bathtub had overflowed or any such disaster. They said no and invited Steve up to take a look around. Nothing seemed out of order.


So, since it was after 10pm and not much we could do, we made a "quiet" bucket (bucket with a towel in it)and went to bed. No surprise that we didn't sleep too well. After about 20 minutes Steve got up and shut off the valves in the basement for the toe kick heater upstairs, convinced that was the cause of the water leak and worried it might explode in the night.



In the morning, the dripping was still going and we pulled the pan away from the wall. We saw there was a good amount of water being suspended inside it. So, we drilled a few holes in the ceiling to see if we could get it to drain. This technique has worked for us before.

Historically, all but one water leakage issue in our building has been caused by our heating system or the ineptitude of those working with it (not us).


We removed the pan and released the water that was behind it. As you can see from the condition of the drywall, there was in fact some water pooling.





We set up trays to catch the water.

Today, Steve went upstairs to check that dastardly toe kick heater. It was bone dry. This means we do not know what is causing the leak, which is quite worrisome.

If it's work that our contractor did upstairs in the kitchen (sink drain, dishwaher) or the bathroom (shower, sink) then his warranty says he has to repair it. If it's the pipes in the wall for the toe kick, our heating guy is responsible.

I should probably be more upset about this than I am. I am really just annoyed. I know we'll get it sorted. This is where renovation experience helps. This is really minor compared with other things we've been through.

I will however, feel better when I know what it is and how we can get it repaired. But God help me if they have to cut another hole in my kitchen walls or ceiling.

The life of a landlord is filled with trials and tribulations...

The mums are dead and our tenants have fallen through. One of them lost their job and is backing out. This is probably for the best and I don't really blame her. If I was living at home and lost my job and I had the choice between the hellish stress of finding a job and moving at the same time or staying put, I'd opt for the first choice.

Still, it's a bit of a bitter pill right now. We do have a deposit from them, which we can't give back, but we will probably let them out of the lease once we verify that she has in fact lost her job and is not just "wimping out". If she is lying, we will require her to pay for advertising. We still wouldn't hold her to the lease because we don't need liars in our building.

I feel fairly bummed about this and so I am going to do whatever I feel like doing this weekend. I will probably use some of my x-mas bonus to go shopping for clothes. I will wear pajamas till noon. I will walk my dogs. And I will allow myself to feel a little sorry for myself because I have earned that right.

It's funny, but writing about problems on the blog always makes them more poignant to me. It somehow makes them have a bit more meaning. Does anyone else feel this way? It's like my life becomes a story that might be interesting to read about and that makes it not seem so random and pointless.

I really need to buy my lap top so I can start writing that novel I have always wanted to write. I have a number of subjects already in mind for different books. I've started before, but I just can't bring myself to sit at a desk all night after sitting at one all day. I am going to be a couch-writer not a desk writer. It's winter and it's time.

And regarding the photo of the torch, in case my meaning isn't clear, I mean to communicate that the fire hasn't gone out here at the 2-flat. A little bump in the road like this won't take the wheels of our wagon. We've built it to last.