Home Improvement Today?

None at all. Like I mentioned, the house is plaster (2 layers of 3/8" plaster board & skim coated...wire mesh on corners). I've damaged very little of it. Very good stuff & smooth. I mix up up small batches of plaster to fill holes as regular spackle or joint compound has a different texture when it dries and is noticable when painted.

 

That's so nasty work right there. Helped a buddy do that once...with mask.

 

On my last house, I gutted it all, from the entire house. Man did it suck, the can or bags were always way to heavy to lift. I got a system of separating the lath from the plaster. Way better on the back.

 

Speaking of sledgehammers.

Demolition phase 1 is complete after I had a water pipe break and leak down my most hated wall in the house.

Demolition phase 2 - remove the door between the kitchen and dining room and make a nice sized opening.

Demolition phase 3 - tear down the wall where my range is located and then rearrange my utility room/half bath to get more kitchen space.

Demolition phase 4 - remove all existing cabinets and countertops.

This is going to be a very long process as I am currently working out of town for at least the next year, if not longer. But I will tackle it one weekend at a time.

The new kitchen layout will include a kitchen island, more counter space, gas range, and recessed lighting.

 

Thank you. And good idea on a thread. I might start one after I CAD up some models of the finished layout.

 

Oh yeah. And I cannot wait to tear up the tile floor. I bought my house from a “flipper”. I don’t know how I missed not noticing it before buying the house, but whoever laid this tile floor did the worst job ever. High corners everywhere. The tile feels cheap. Hollow spots all over the place. Every day I walk across this floor I get pissed. I’ve laid dozens of tile floors and it is so easy. How the heck can you do such a piss poor job. Lol. End of rant.

 

My arms and back ache just looking at that!

 

Whats the story with the interior brick wall ?

 

The other week I had a galvanizing water line above the wall/cabinets develop a pretty good leak while I was out of town. The water ran down between the stud wall and bricks. I didn’t like the wall and now had a reason to start my reno way ahead of schedule.

 

No I mean why is there an interior brick wall

 

It use to be a Taco Bell. Duh!

 

And I hate South Park!

 

I guess that was the style of the home builders in my area back in the mid 70’s.
Almost every house in the neighborhood has something similar.

I have one more brick wall in my breakfast room. That will be coming down as well.

 

Huh , interesting . Its slab in grade I assume ?

 

Correct

 

So tired

 

Actual home improvement

Building a privacy screen / vine arbour

6x8 columns formed up



I had these knife plates made up for me by my fabricator



Columns poured and knife plates set




Stripped columns today

 

Brick was popular in the 70's but I like mine.

 

I put a 1"x1" cant strip around the top of the columns prior to pouring

There is a perforated drain tile that runs along that sideline I installed about 20 years ago to pick up a groundwater drain further up the property , of course that was also exactly where I needed to dig the footings for my columns which made a sump pump part of the forming equation . Because there is a cypress hedge close to that drain , I decided while I had the pipe exposed to add a clean out / inspection upright so I could maintain the drain in the future .

 

You’ll tear your fingers and your new wusthof up like that
https://www.eatingtools.com/chef-knives/363-walnut-magnetic-knife-rack.html