leangreen.org recycled renovation on a low-budget ration

In an attempt to keep progress moving with materials we had on hand we took on finishing the walls in the downstairs bathroom. On a not too recent weekend (circa 2008) we found some cheap oak flooring leftovers on craigslist. With some ideas about what we could use them for we went and had a look. Much of the pieces were rejects due to knots or other aesthetic imperfections which didn't bother us much so we loaded it all up, drove it home and then shuttled it upstairs (blurry picture included to show the precarious wood stack). And there it sat becoming a makeshift, multi-level, wobbling sort of table/obstacle, a tablestacle - that sounds too anatomical, how about obstable. The obstable remained in place (albeit with frequent rebuilds from various collapses) until Jen came up with using it for the walls of the downstairs bathroom.

Once a firm decision was made we started planning and then attaching. In preparation we had to fir out some of the studs to get a level plane as well as add some nailers since many of these pieces are shorter than the 16" on-center span of the studs. Initially I tried using my pneumatic stapler to attach the pieces but found that shooting through the tongue I couldn't get a steep enough angle to keep the staple out of the way of the groove for the next piece. This led to the tedious process of pre-drilling the tongue and hand nailing using finish nails...slooooow. Fortunately while relaying this to my neighbor after the first day he let me borrow his propane powered pneumatic finish nailer that sped things up considerably.

Now we are trying to come up with a nice way to hide the hydronic tubes that run directly behind the toilet, but for now we are happy to have warm wood walls!

We made a great stride yesterday getting off of the temporary power pole and on to our new and improved main panel. The day started with PG&E replacing a transformer around the corner which was deemed unable to match the power demand that Jen and I will be levying upon it. Now, a neighborhood wide power outage caused by us my have been difficult to trace back to its roots had they not scheduled our job directly following the completion of the transformer upgrade. Any doubts of who caused the blackout were quashed with the presence of 3 trucks, one with the big bucket and a crew of 5 in our front yard, some of whom seemed to be tasked with standing, pointing and watching.

When they showed up I walked out to get the scoop and was given this gem: "Well, I've got good news and bad news...". Apparently the order to hook up our power was missing the force tag for the meter set (I made them repeat that a lot so I could correctly reference it in my calls to my only point of contact) and without said tag it would be impossible to put the meter in. I was told that they would "hot it up but then glass it over", which means connect the wires but cover the meter receptacle. After some deep breathes I was able to convince the guy to make some more calls and after about an hour the force tag was found and our power was flowing. The extension cord era has thankfully come to an end!

PG+E has taken their sweet time attending to our request for a service upgrade. We were ready in November: electrical panel in, electric work inspected by the city. Over five months later, their arrival is announced by a letter in the mail: "We are upgrading the transformer in your neighborhood. You will be powered down all day." And then their parking signs showed up in front of our house yesterday.

Maybe we'll be off the temporary power pole by tonight.

When Matt visited we spent a few hours one day cutting the plywood panels for the dropped sloping ceiling above the bed. The plywood is 3/4" thick with a douglas fir vaneer that we purchased at EarthSource (formerly Pals Lumber) in Oakland. We wanted something a little nicer than standard plywood but beyond that this wood is FSC certified and does not contain formaldehyde making it suitable for use as an interior finish.

The missing panel in this picture will eventually be a hatch door that pulls down for extra storage. I wanted to get Matt involved since I will be calling on his industrial design expertise to help with the planning, drawing and construction of the hatch. I'll post those drawings hopefully soon!

I also spent a couple days re-oiling the redwood siding. After a couple years (arrggg!!!) it was time to give them a touch up. The original product we used was Marine Oil Wood Finish from Penofin. This time we used a new product also from Penofin called Verde which is more environmentally friendly than their existing products and the odor is practically non-existent.

We've got a lot more going on so more updates to follow soon!