Rain, rain, don't go away

come again and fill my barrel! If you recall from my previous post I picked up two 55 gallon barrels from CraigsList and constructed a composter from one. The second one was destined to water our raised bed garden. I purchased a downspout diverter from Amazon as well as a spigot for the bottom.

Barrel location at the back of the house.

I put the barrel up on three concrete blocks to get it up high enough to get a bit of pressure out of the spigot when it is filled. Next was modifying the downspout with the diverter. I used a hacksaw to cut the aluminum following the instructions that came with the adapter. I used some outdoor caulking on the bottom adapter of the diverter to prevent leaks.

Downspout cut.

In position.

I had to cut a large opening in the top of the barrel in order to get my arm inside to fasten both the diverter supply and the bottom spigot. I will probably cover this with a screen later to prevent debris from falling in.

Arm hole cut.

The diverter adapter and supply tubing.

Bottom spigot attached.

All done!

After attaching everything I put a few gallons of water into the barrel in order to water test the spigot and to weigh down the barrel in the very windy conditions on that day. Not more than two hours after I finished the barrel a large storm rolled through and filled my barrel to the brim! It was good to see that everything worked well and that we will be able to use this for the garden instead of manually water the plants everyday. All I need to do is get the soaker hose.

Breakin' It Down

...into compost. Yard waste that is. I decided that a wire mesh compost bin I made last summer wasn't working very well and chose to make my own new one from a 55 gallon barrel. I managed to find a pair of these drums on Craigslist for this project and a rain barrel. After cleaning the barrel I started on the frame of the composter.

Cleaned up.

The base is a simple rectangle slightly larger than the barrel.

Attaching the uprights.

 I made a simple triangular frame on each side to support the barrel. I don't think it will be terribly heavy getting filled with leaves and lawn clippings so I didn't make them as sturdy as I could have.

Side frames on.

Next I focused on the barrel itself. The bacteria in a composter need to breathe so I drilled holes on both sides around the outside of the barrel. Then I cut a door out by drilling out two corners and using a jigsaw to connect the dots. I didn't follow a template at all so the cuts aren't all that straight. But since it is a simple composter that will sit in the back of the yard I'm not all that concerned about it.

Breathing holes.

Door cut.

I then added the hardware. When turning the bin, the compost needs to be churned so I added some 8" lengths of pre-bent flashing to act as agitators similar to those found in a dryer. I also added a pair of hinges and a  barrel bolt latch to the door to open and close it.

Agitator installed with some 1/4" bolts and washers.

Door installed.

Finally I mounted the bin to the frame to complete the composter. I did this by using a length of 2" PVC pipe as the axle and drilling a 2 1/2" hole through the top and bottom (now the sides) of the bin. The PVC measurement is the inside diameter so the holes in the bin needed to be larger to fit around the outside diameter of the pipe. I then used some metal pipe brackets that are typically used to attach the pipe to joists to fix it to the frame. The pipe doesn't spin but the holes in the bin are just loose enough to allow the bin to rotate around the pipe.

Used a hole saw to cut the space for the axle.

PVC axle.

Complete!

I took apart the old bin and moved all of the yard waste from it to the new composter which nearly filled it up. There is enough room below this bin to add another one on the same frame but I would have to get another barrel from Craigslist. The other one I plan to use for a rain barrel doesn't have bungs to seal the top. This was a fairly simple project and I hope it will prove to be a better composter than the original wire mesh one I had from last year. The entire project cost less than $50 to make which is less than half the cost of store bought models.

Finishing the Karaoke Bench

A while back I had made a bench in the karaoke room for Siri. I finally found some time to upholster it so the room would be usable. I was initially surprised at how expensive foam padding can be and we waited until Memorial weekend for Jo-Ann Fabrics to have a 50% off sale. We also bought the fabric there since it was also on sale. We did still spend a lot more on upholstery supplies than I had on wood for the frame.

Cutting the foam batting to size.

Fabric added.

I started on one side and cut the foam to size. It is 24" wide so I cut it into 18" deep sections and butted them up to each other. I cut the fabric in half lengthwise since it is 48" wide and the bench is less than half that deep. My pneumatic stapler made attaching the fabric a breeze and I moved along quickly until I came to the corner. The fabric had to turn 45 degrees and I wasn't quite sure how to handle it. I ended up just cutting an angle in the fabric and stapling it down. I will have to figure out a way to cover the staples later.

Starting on the other side.

Finished in the middle.

I used one side of the fabric and it ended in the middle of the U-shaped bench. I then started on the other end of the bench and worked toward the middle. Again I made the turn by cutting and stapling the fabric at the seam in the corner. I finished it off fairly quickly thanks to the air stapler and the bench is actually pretty comfortable. Siri will have to find cushions for the backs but we can sit and make good use of the room for now. I will have to figure out a way to cover the corner turns as well as the staples in the front of the bench holding the fabric down.

Karaoke Bench

For Siri's karaoke room we didn't have any seating now that we've moved the patio furniture outside. I took one night and put together a basic bench. I designed a U shaped bench in SketchUp and you can get the plans here. I followed the basic idea of the plan but made a few changes as I constructed it.

Inspection by the Admiral.

I started by attaching a 2x2 cleat to the studs in the walls. This gave me my basic shape as well as the height. I had to make it about 21" tall to accommodate the existing outlets in the room, of which there are plenty.

Cleats attached.

I used simple 2x4 framing and 4x4 posts cut to height for support for the inside corners. All of this was fastened together using 3" drywall screws. I probably could have made it much stronger by using lap joints and maybe some mortise and tenons. However, if I had done that this project would have ended up on my woodworking blog.

Started framing.

Supports installed.

 I notched the 2x4 supports to go around the cleats on the wall and screwed them up from the bottom. I continued this technique all the way around the bench and then started with the paneling. For this I used 1/4" lauan since we plan to cover the bench with cushions and fabric later.

Lauan plywood cut and notched to fit.

Nearly done.

Completely covered.

This project only took me a few hours, even with a friend stopping by to visit for a while. The seating is slightly soft in between the bracing but after the cushioning and fabric go on it will not be noticable and these materials will help disperse the weight. After I cover the bench I may just use this room for my gaming room and move my consoles down here. I still need to cover a gap in the wall and put a door on the room so we can heat it efficiently in the winter.

The Aftershock

Of course, after the Big One there will be small shocks afterward. The shock I encountered was when I double checked everything after priming to find the flex duct had a large hole in the back of it that ran up behind the drywall. This must have occurred as I was moving it to attach the adapter to the hood vent. This set my schedule back a bit from when I thought we would get the kitchen back in working order but I did correct it as I didn't want the warm, moist air from the hood vent producing mold in the cavity above the alcove. But this was after I had gotten the sanding and priming done.

Taped off for primer.

First coat on.

Sanded and 2nd coat applied.

I also took the time to move the outlet for the electric range connection. Though we have a gas unit, I wanted to have this moved so that it wouldn't interfere with putting the fridge against the back wall. It was easy enough as it is fed from a junction box in the basement directly in the center of the alcove. I disconnected the outlet (after making sure the breaker was turned off) and just pulled the armored cable down to the basement. I drilled a new hole, fed the cable up, and simply re-attached the outlet on the right side of the alcove.

Moved the electric range outlet.

Fridge put in place.

It was about this time that I did my double checking of all the new construction and setup. I found the hole in the flex ducting. I called it a night and planned my work for the next day. I replaced the offending section of the flex duct with a rigid duct. In order to do this I had to remove the microwave, cabinet, and cut the ceiling drywall for access.

Replaced flex with rigid.

Replaced the cabinet after duct work.

Microwave attached and connected to new ductwork.

After testing the new duct work for leaks, I cleaned up and reattached the cabinet doors. I put the range in place and tested the gas connection. I then unboxed the final cabinet: a 12" base cabinet. We still haven't picked out the counter top material for this cabinet but it is between granite to match the existing top on the opposite side of the kitchen or a butcher block style of hardwood. For now, we are going to use a cutting board for a top and be careful not to make too much of a mess as we cook.

Everything installed.

We still have to paint the kitchen when we decide on colors, but the primer will keep the drywall sealed until that time. I have some toekick left from the pantry cabinet project that I still need to attach to the new base cabinet but I will do that later. All in all the remodel turned out nicely and I'm quite pleased with the results.

The Big One

It's finally here: the kitchen remodel. My brother Jeremy came out from Michigan to lend a hand and expertise in the demolition and reconstruction of my kitchen. In my previous post I did some preparation work which helped make the main project go a bit faster. Even with that prep work, I would not have been able to get this done without Jeremy's help.

We started with demo after moving the fridge and range out of the way. The tiled walls (the back and left side) were coming down since I will be installing a new backsplash at a later date.

The start.

Moving appliances. Notice the gas supply coming
through the middle of the wall.

Jeremy starting demo.

We noticed a few odd things in the wall as we opened it up. In the picture above you will see Jeremy holding a section of conduit that was live (when the breaker is on) and was not connected to anything. The wire ends were bare which means this was a huge fire hazard. We rectified this as we were routing the new electrical for the outlets. Also, there was a 2"x6" board with fire damage mounted in the wall. It wasn't a structural member but was just fastened in the wall before it was closed up. I'm not sure where it came from as there is no fire damage anywhere else in the house. I think there may have been a fire a long time ago and this board was kept for historical purposes or some such reason. The main thing that slowed us down during demo was the difficulty of cutting and removing the plaster. This material is as hard as a rock and we ruined several reciprocating and oscillating saw blades. 80 grit sandpaper did a decent job of knocking down some of the high spots where we removed the wall but a diamond blade for the tools would have been much better.

Jeremy in front of the odd, fire damaged board.

Almost done with demo.

After demo, it was time to rebuild. We needed to add a new header across the top of the alcove and add new stringers to form the ceiling. It was interesting working with the old framing as the original framing is made from studs that are actually 2" x 4" unlike today's nominal sized lumber which is 1 1/2" x 3 1/2".

New framing going in.

Next we prepared the mechanicals before drywalling. This included adding an adapter to the existing vent ducting, feeding the new electrical for the microwave up the wall and stapling it, replacing the old outlets with new ones on a proper circuit, and moving the gas supply for the range to the other side of the alcove.

Ducting for range vent and dedicated power for microwave.

New drywall going in. Notice the new
gas supply location.

Attached flex ducting to the adapter. Outlets installed and
working. Drywall cut around outlets and gas.

We installed just two pieces of drywall by the end of the first day. It was about midnight and we had been working since 2 o'clock. Our goal had been to finish the drywall and have the first coat of joint compound drying overnight but we had been delayed due to the slow work of cutting the plaster and several framing issues we encountered. The next day we quickly finished hanging drywall and started mudding. Most of the day was spent waiting for the compound to dry so we could sand it. Because the plaster walls were uneven, Jeremy had to work to blend the new wallboard in with the old. In the end it turned out well but made for a lot of sanding.

Drywalling finished.

First coat of drywall mud.

We noticed after we moved the gas line that the existing valve leaked when closed. I don't know if it leaked when open but I never smelled gas in the kitchen. It was an older valve so I opted to replace it with a new ball valve. Jeremy suspected the threading that went all the way through the valve was the culprit and managed to tighten the bolts on the back to stop the leak while we waited for Home Depot to open in the morning.

New ball valve installed on the gas supply.

The old valve. The threading goes through the back of  the valve
to the two nuts on the back where the leak was found.

After a lot of sanding and mess-making, we were ready to hang cabinets. Since these are going up in the corners we didn't need to have the joints perfect or paint the walls behind them. Jeremy had to leave Sunday morning so I wanted to get the microwave mounted while he was still around. The cabinet that went above the microwave had to have a lot of modifications done before going up. Holes for the outlet, the flex duct, the mounting holes, and the hood vent needed to be cut.

The above fridge cabinet and the center spice cabinet hung.

The above range cabinet hung.

Adapter added to the flex duct. Microwave mounting bracket
installed on the wall.

Our mess after most of the work is completed.

As soon as we had the microwave hood installed and tested Jeremy packed up to return home. It was unfortunate we weren't able to go out at all while he was in town but we did get a lot of work done. It was now up to me to finish the project which included mudding, sanding, and painting. I closed off just the alcove with plastic drop cloth to prevent more dust getting everywhere since I only needed room for one person to work instead of two.

A few more coats of drywall mud and sanding in my bubble.

Ready for primer.

The last thing to do is to apply several coats of primer to the walls before putting the appliance back in place. The primer will seal the wall against moisture while cooking until we put up the tile backsplash. The drywall dust was a pain to clean up and I had to purchase a mop and cleaner to get it off the floors. The steam mop was not picking up much of it and sweeping just made it airborne again. After priming, I will be installing a 12" base cabinet in the center, in line with the 12" upper cabinet. I'll create an update post with the priming and cabinet install later.

This project was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal of construction techniques from my brother. I had never used drywall mud before nor had I worked with plaster. I hope I never have to cut plaster again. We did have to wash all of our dishes and the sanding dust got into all of the kitchen cabinets but this gave us an opportunity to reorganize the spaces. And we reclaimed some counter space by removing the old microwave so now we actually have room for preparing food!