68. Good Fences

OK, if you are all done with your tissues/barf bags, it's time to get back to work!  And now you won't have to keep asking yourself how I get Dave to volunteer on so many projects.  He is what you might call "The Most Helpful Man in the World"  (world...world...world...)" and I can't seem to shake him so I might as well put him to work, huh?

Here he is posing by his latest creation.  While we were selecting some fence posts at Home Depot we noticed a boxed set of gate hardware that looked like it would make the job much easier and more rugged.  It was about $50 but turned out to be a good investment.  It came with hinges and heavy-duty metal brackets that you slip a couple of 2x4s into and then put the fence slats on top.  There is also a cable strung diagonally (you can just barely make it out in the picture) that can be tightened up to keep the thing from sagging over time.  This is a 6' gate and it's pretty heavy, so it needs that extra strength.  Worked like a charm - I would definitely recommend it.

Here is the full view of the fence - the small leg at the bottom of the pic with the little gate was already there and we tied in to the end of that.  It took a lot of discussion and tossing around of ideas about how to connect things and where to put the step downs since one end of the fence is about 2' lower than the other, but I love the way it turned out.  You can see the little hacked-off mulberry peeking out of the corner, it may not look so great there but after a month it already has so much growth I know it's a happy tree!

And of course you know who else is enjoying the new fence... if you can make them out way in the distance you can see the doggies romping in their new yard!  You can also see the dark brown fence that remains between us and the blue house.  One day we're going to work that thing over too - it needs a post or two and some slats will have to be replaced as well.

I had applied for the permit for the fence and gate a couple of months ago, before the demo was even completed.  For some reason people always think that permitting is such a pain in the butt, but I haven't had any problems.  The drawing I gave them with my original plan had a 3' retaining wall and a 4' fence, with a 14' gate in it.  The permitting department made one change:  they told me I was only allowed a 4' walk-through gate since they don't like people using the vacant lots for parking.   When it was finally time to build the thing, we decided on no retaining wall, a 6' tall fence and a 6' wide gate, so naturally I expected the inspector to have something to say about it, and I wondered if I would have to submit a permit change and pay another $31 to boot.  The day the inspector came all he did was comment on what a nice fence it was and how good it looked!  I really think all that "jumping-through-hoops" they make you do is to intimidate the people who don't want to do a good job.  You build something solid, safe, and that looks great, and the City is happy.  I've had a great experience with them and I would say they were lenient, if anything, once they see you are really trying to improve things in the neighborhood.

That being said, let me mention that the City of Daytona Beach is doing everything it can to improve the "Surfside Village Historic District" where Grandview is located.  And how are they doing this?  By showering the residents with what I call love letters... detailing all the things that are wrong with each house.  It's part of a campaign called "Daytona Beach Proud" where City employees are sent around on a regular basis to pinpoint any code violations.  It's a big job, and I am not really complaining, but it is a little scary when I realize that my peely paint might get me a fine.  It scared me more at first, but after numerous calls to the city with no return calls, and talking to someone who said the City gave out 120 "love letters" last month... I don't think it's really something I have to worry about.  I've already decided that if push comes to shove I'll just tell them I will paint when they clean up the slummy/drunk loser hangout right outside my back door.  Trust me, they do NOT want to get me in a public hearing because I would invite Channel 2 news cameras to join me for what would really be a great show.

Now for some more fun stuff.  Dave and I hit a few garage sales one Saturday - our first time doing so in Daytona.  We made quite a haul including some great tools and this brand new floor register I found for .50 that replaces the rusty one shown here.  It was even labeled "Marvel" which is what I did when I found it!

I put my electrician skills to work in the basement installing outlets in the ceiling so we could have some lighting down there.  It is no longer a dingy cave!  While I was working on that, Dave built me those shelves you see there, so we could clean out the "tom boy pantry" in the kitchen, in anticipation of trim and paint up there.  Then we worked together and mixed up some mortar to fill in a few places in the floor and wall.

Part of getting the place all nicely organized and clean was to install supports in the rafters for all our scrap lumber and miscellaneous - getting everything up off the floor was a big relief.  Especially since I am a klutz and would regularly trip over or bang my head on one item or another.

Oh and I almost forgot:  On the day I was there by myself to meet the City inspector, my washing machine stopped working!  I was so bummed out (I'm putting it mildly) I took off the front panel and became so frustrated I began searching Craigslist for a replacement (which would cost as much as someone to fix the dang thing).  Then I remembered Episode 52:  Ice, Pantry and a Kitchen Window in which I vowed to NEVER AGAIN give up and call an appliance repair man.  *sigh*

Fortunately before I dissected the entire machine I did a little Googling and  that's when it hit me:  the switch that is engaged when the lid closes must be broken!  Two little screws later I had this in my hand, and I didn't even have to bend over!  I guess I had dropped the lid so hard last time I knocked the thing loose, and since I couldn't find a tiny zip tie just then, I fixed it with that piece of string you see there.

Put it back together and it worked like a charm... I think my washing machine was just as happy as I was, don't you?

67. Love

The original intention of this blog was to record my experiences from the beginning of this project, and perhaps teaching a little bit as I also learn along the way.  Knowing that I have to share the whole thing with you has motivated me to do a good job, and not to give up when things got difficult.  You would be surprised how often I think of you the reader while I am working.  I love it when I have some funny exploit or even a catastrophe to share, as well as the little victories along the way.

For a while now I have debated whether to share a very personal story along with the construction drama, so grab a box of tissues or a barf bag - your choice!

The Grandview Project has officially become a love story.

Six months ago today I planted a first kiss on a man who I am certain is the love of my life, my soul mate, and I have this project to thank for bringing us together.  Some of what I will share is a recap of stuff I've already posted about, but you have to stick with it to see the beauty of how it all unfolded!

It all started about two weeks before closing on the house when I was out on a typical sunny Saturday morning with good old Roscoe, visiting a few local garage sales.  As you know I'm a sucker for anything cheap, and on our way home I passed a familiar sign  "SALVAGE SALE" that directed me to an office park just around the corner from my house.  I had seen that sign before, and that day I decided to stop in.  There I met Keith, the owner of the trim and door company holding the sale and spoke to him about having some specialty siding made for an old house I was about to buy.  He recommended that I bring in a piece of the original siding, so they could match it and give me a price.  On July 10th I did just that, and when I walked into the warehouse, Roscoe in tow, I met my destiny.  David, the Purchasing Manager and number two man at the company, came right up to me and said "Hi, how can I help you?" and the rest is history.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks we met several times in his office and spoke on the phone, hammering out the details of my purchase.  Dave was attentive yet professional, and since I always brought Roscoe with me, he actually got more attention than I did!  Dave and I formulated a loose friendship - he had started out in his career as a trim carpenter and was very interested in all of my exploits.  He kept up with the blog and in one of his emails offered his services if I ever needed a hand.  Of course I warned him to watch out what he was volunteering for!

When the siding arrived it was beautiful, and somehow I had received about 50% more than what I had ordered at no extra charge!  He said something about the mill having some extra laying around that they decided to throw in... much later I found out that he had used one of his connections to get the extra lumber for me, and to this day I don't believe he had any ulterior motive - he's just that kind of guy.  I told him I wanted to treat him to lunch one day to thank him for his time and effort, and on August 15th we met at Garibaldi's, a local Mexican restaurant.

To hear Dave tell it, this is the day he fell for me.  In his own words, he saw me walking across the parking lot in slow motion - he remembers the outfit I was wearing, the shoes, and the way the sun glinted off my hair.  I'm not making any of this up - but I will admit it was what you would call a good hair day.  He realized he was in camo shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops and felt like a  -- (you fill in the blank).  I apologized because I realized with heels I was a good 6" taller than he is at 5'5"... he assured me he didn't mind one bit.  We spent two hours over lunch, nibbling away and sharing bits of our life stories with each other.  When we were finally done I invited him up to a local dive to have a beer and hear my friends' band, which he did.  When it started getting dark I was ready to leave, and we shared a very platonic hug before getting into our respective trucks.  We call that our first date, even though it was still just a blossoming friendship.

On August 21, a Saturday, I picked Dave up at his house which is about a third of the way along on my trip to Daytona Beach.  You can reference the second part of episode 42 to see the progress we made that day.  What was amazing was the ease with which we worked together... may I say this has NOT been the case with people who have worked with me before.  I'm not a great manager - I don't like conflict or bossing someone around, and it turns out Dave is the same way.  We've done a million things together since then, but we still go back to that day to see how we realized right then how well we work together.  A huge amount of mutual respect and a naturally laid-back attitude on both our parts makes for a great time, no matter what the project, and that still holds true today.

When I made a couple of trips out of town in October I "invited" Dave to stay at my house with my dogs.  Along with taking great care of my precious puppies, he fished in the lake, and swept my house for me... I'm really not sure which of those activities he likes to do more.  He sent me pictures of the fish he caught and Rufus holding up a sign that said "Hi Mom!  Luv Ya".  When Halloween rolled around I found myself with a costume and a party to got to... hmm what was missing?  Dave in a thrift-store-thrown-together pirate costume!  Believe me I wish I had a picture of us that night, did we ever have a good time.  Once again a purely friendly night together, he even slept over at the beach house in the guest room.  Though neither one of us admitted it, I think both of us realized that the flames were beginning to be fanned.

I've been single for almost ten years now, but spent six of those involved with a huge mistake.  I never planned to be in another relationship, and certainly never dared to dream of a man that I would call "the one".   I wouldn't have even known what to look for!  It wasn't until after Dave and I had been friends for a few months that I began to see him having qualities that I used to joke to my friends about, for example:  "Next man I'm with is going to let me get drunker than him once in a while".  I never really thought it would happen, but on Halloween Dave knocked that one out of the park.  Other important qualities continued to surface one by one.  I don't want to speak for him here, but I believe he saw things in me that made him want us to be closer as well, and at some point a light bulb went off in my head and I knew I had to do something.

We text a lot, and it's fun to look back over the months and see our "historical documents" that outline what was going on, and the next couple of weeks were monumental.  I was in Daytona a lot, and in between we would have an occasional dinner or lunch.  We managed to fit in a lot of gut-busting laugh sessions - I quickly learned wearing mascara around him is a lesson in futility.  I kept throwing bones but Dave insists he didn't respond because I was "hard to read".  I guess I had done such a good job keeping men at arm's length for so long it was hard to reverse the trend.  I spent several days in deep thought on the matter, and on November 12th I decided to finally put all his doubts to rest.

He sent me a message that morning and asked if I wanted to meet for breakfast before work and I knew it was time to act.  We met at the Woodshed, a little greasy spoon about a half a mile away.  Over breakfast he chatted away as usual, but I think all I did was smile and look into his beautiful blue eyes as I never had before.  Somehow when we were done I had his hand in mine across the table - I knew exactly what I was doing but he was baffled.  In the parking lot, after our usual pat-on-the-back hug, I took him by the shoulders and said "Kiss Me Dave", which he gladly did.  And then he did it again.  Then he said "man I'm gonna have a great day at work today!" and we said goodbye.

I won't bore you with the specifics, but our relationship has proceeded as beautifully as any classic romance but without the drama, hurt or disappointment.  It has been very literally "all good" since day one.  The Grandview Project is now our project, and Dave enjoys it as much or more than I do!  As you may have noticed, my blog episodes have begun including Dave and now you know why.  He is a good good person and I love him and and am so proud to have him as my partner.  I hope you will enjoy sharing our continued progress, blunders, and laughs as we muddle together through the end of this project, and then for a lifetime.

66. A Change of Pace

Perhaps you've noticed things have slowed down a little.  This is due to several factors, not the least of which is the fact that the purchase of the lot next door has eaten into the funds that I would have spent on the house.  Not to worry - work will continue, just at a less-than-breakneck pace.  Another reason is that the house has also reached a point where I can actually enjoy it - so I am doing just that, much earlier than expected.  So... I am changing my original strategy, which was to give it a year (which would be up in June), tally up all the expenses, and then get an appraisal to see how well I did on my investment.  I've decided to wait until June of 2012, two years, and celebrate on my 50th birthday.  Save the date:  June 23, because I'm gonna have a party!

With not much left to do besides trim and paint, one of the next projects is to tile the kitchen back splash and bar top.  This is how it looks now, with the concrete backer board in place, all ready for tile.  The problem is - what tile?  I had some I purchased cheap at the Habitat Home Store months ago, but now I have decided it is much too beige for my liking.  I'm leaning towards a glass tile mosaic with all shades of blue...  once that's in I can decide what color to paint the cabinets!

Meanwhile, a lot of work is getting done outside, because it's spring here, and the weather is so pleasant, and that lasts about a week in Florida.  We formed up and poured concrete to repair the front steps which were chunked up after the chain-link fence was removed during demo.  Also here you can see a couple of posts anchored to that concrete wall, ready for gate installation.

This gate was finely crafted from a Home Depot fence panel that I've had in the garage since the first month I owned the house!  One of the first to-do items on the list was "put up gate" but it's taken six months.  I've been thinking about it for so long it's almost like a dream to see it actually up and working.  The street view is already vastly improved, but soon we are going to pressure wash the front walls and fences on both properties and paint it all white, which will look very beachy I think.

Here is the view of the gate from the inside - there are still a couple of slats and the post caps to be put on.  I spent one day re-grading the front yard so the water from the roof doesn't run right down the sidewalk - after every rain storm there was a big washout of dirt in front of the house to deal with, but no more.

And now for our side-yard update:  Here you see about 25% of the debris remaining, and the foundation of the house in the foreground.  It turns out that the cheapest quote we got (about 1/2 the price of all the others) turned out to be a great choice.  I was a little concerned since you usually get what you pay for, but at that price I couldn't pass it up.  These guys sifted through every scoop of that stuff and pulled out all the metal and concrete to take to recyclers, which probably earned them a few bucks, and impressed the heck out of me.

They also were very easy to work with and listened when I asked them to preserve a couple of trees on the property, and pull the coquina chunks out of the riverbed they were using as fill dirt, so I could use them as landscaping stones.  They got a big kick out of that, but they cooperated.  Here you can see the fill almost complete.

Here is the view from the back street up towards my house, after four pallets of sod were laid.  At the right you can see an old mulberry tree they saved for me - it was literally growing up through a crack in the foundation, right next to the building, but the guy on the loader managed to work around it, at my request.  What a difference in the view!  The whole neighborhood is excited about it, as you might imagine.

Now you are standing in my driveway, looking at the row of posts we installed for the fence that will be put up next week.  Coincidentally it fits exactly between my little retaining wall and the fence of the next yard down, with a small leg up to meet the side fence I installed a while back.  Like a glove.  See that pile of beautiful stone there?  I got a call from Don, the loader operator, who was on another job nearby and unearthed all these stones.  He didn't want to see them get crushed, so he called me!  We loaded up a whole truckload and brought them home - I'm sure that's at least $500 worth of landscape boulders right there, which will be distributed throughout the yard over time.

My parting shot was taken on Sunday morning, after a sunrise walk on the beach.  Coming back home it was so nice to see that ugly building gone.  I like the feeling of caring for a property - somehow I think it appreciates the TLC.  I know for sure this one little spot can be a happy place - a little piece of world peace.