4 posts tagged “home”
Finished: Address signage. Thanks to our friends over at 100watt, we got a good deal on these lit address numbers. Quite simply, we have the coolest address on the block. Now if only the exterior of the house matched...
Finished: "Master" Vanity, also known as Ikea Hacked. Happy with the Lack shelving system we have been using for a tv stand for about a year now, Wendy and I designed our bathroom vanity based on the same line of furniture. After some lucky finds at our local Ikea, we ripped a tv stand down the middle, mounted it and a standard shelving unit to the wall and wal-la, we can finally brush our teeth somewhere other then the bathtub. Next step: find a mirror and a light.
The inspector comes tomorrow and the work will be finaled, I hope. The long, tedious, yet rewarding chapter will be over. We are finally home, ready to tackle the little projects of homeownership, and ready to start a new and exciting life here in Daly City.
A look back: May 11, 2008
Having made the choice to go with Xypex, we lost our contractor. Two weeks passed and all we had to show for it was some slightly refined drawings and quotes from five more contractors interested in working on the project. All had good references, either family or friends of ours. All were willing to do whatever we asked and stop whenever we asked. But with each and everyone of them we were looking at more time and a lot more money then Wendy's cousin had planned on doing it.
It got to the point we were seriously considering doing the work ourselves. We even started shopping for tools (thanks to some good advice from Peter). But before we could do much we had to take care of the water proofing, so that became our first goal.
The week leading up to the eleventh was hectic. It started with us renting a chipping hammer from the Home Depot (05/04); Jackie and I going around the perimeter of the ground floor chipping away the joint between the stem wall and the slab. In waterproofing terms this joint is "weak" so we had to make a slot for the Xypex Patch & Plug compound. That done, Wendy and I acid etched the slab (05/08), opening up pores in the concrete to let the waterproofing in.
By the way, if you are looking for acid to do this yourself it's probably up with the paint thinner and concreted admixtures. It took five Home Depot employees to find it for us.
On Saturday (5/10) Jackie, Wendy and I went at the concrete with the Xypex. We more or less followed the directions, Jackie is more of a mix by feel kind of guy so we didn't really measure the portions, but otherwise it's pretty easy. Mix a little, pour it on the concrete, then brush it out to an even coat (about 1/16" thick). It's hard to believe that is all you need. But I have done the research, seen the literature. We'll see next rainy season.
Apparently that's all Wendy's cousin was waiting for because Chu showed up Sunday (05/11) morning ready to go. We poured over a hundred bags worth of concrete to level the bedroom and bathroom floors that day. The family room was to follow the next day. We were off and running, it felt good to be doing something again.
Just a teaser really. We signed the last of the papers today. Picking up the keys on the 13th and starting the move on the 14th. There is a lot of thinking going into this little storybook house, more on the ideas and process (Design!) in the coming days.
Renaissance men used to be able to travel through Europe and speak the local dialect wherever they were. I'm not quite so ambitious as that, but I am endeavoring to learn Cantonese, the better to communicate with my extended in-law family. Starting today, and hopefully on a weekly basis, I'll be posting the word or phrase I learned the previous week.
Cantonese word of the week: GAH
"Gah" is a Cantonese word for family. What is especially intriguing to me is that it also means home. One syllable that stands for everything I hope the final design will be for the future Kuykendall & Cheng family home.
(Note: I spell the Cantonese Word of the Week the way it sounds when I say it/hear it.)
