Well, I havent really been posting much - just a few jokes here and there. Holidays are a busy time. SO, I think I’ll catch up a little in this post.

We had our 3rd annual LVC Christmas Party - For those who dont know, LVC is an online car club and forum, www.LincolnvsCadillac.com. We are starting our 4th year. Members all over the country get together now and then for a car show or party. We hold the Chicago area party at Johns Pizza in Addison every year. We had a pretty good time, which we always seem to whenever we get together.

 Had Dave and Chris over for Christmas eve. Dave especially was a little - ‘Merry’ - but vodka will do that to ya.

 

A few days after Christmas, I cooked a little something special…. Braciole -Poor Jimmy missed out since he couldnt be bothered to come by or even answer his phone that day, but the rest of us really enjoyed it..  

New Years Eve / Day was alot of fun. NOT. Our sewer line backed up and had to be rodded out. I spent New Years Eve keeping the tub drained of sewer water - making sure it didnt overflow.. New Years Day I got to pay a plumber $450 to rod the lines and free the blockages. This also cause a leak to spring in the tub drain, so I had to remove the basement ceiling since it was all full of water. Because of this leak, I have to pull the tub in the main floor bathroom to repair it.

I didnt plan to start remodeling that bath yet, but since I have to tear it half apart, I might as well do it. So later this week you’ll start seeing posts about doing that. Basically, I am going to gut the room and replace everything. New Whirlpool tub, new tile, vanity, sink, toilet, lighting – the works. So look forward to posts abot that coming soon. Here are a few pics of what im starting with. As you can see, it really needs it.

  

In other news. We lost President Ford and James Brown, Saddam was hanged. Oh, and the Bears got whooped by Green Bay. When will they learn that Grossman sucks.

SO - I hope everyone had a Happy New Year and I wish everyone a prosperous and happy 2007.

 

 

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So - Im getting ready to start work on the laundry room. I cleaned it up today removing everything that I could. I even removed one wall since it was uneven and “purple”.  Naturally, I took a couple of photos so you can see the start of the project.

    

(Click Images to see larger image)

The plan is to stud out, insulate and drywall the whole room. Then install counters and cabinets around the room. Unfortunately, I cant really do much with the ceiling but clean it up. Maybe I can paint it black or something, but thats about it. Too may conduits to move.

Also planned, is a new sink. I cant stand those cheap plastic sinks, which is what we have. The new sink will also have a sprayer so that you can easily give a small dog a bath in the sink. I will also be doing something with the floor. Im still contemplating this and will most likely install a simple and inexpensive vinyl floor. Easy to keep clean is what im looking for in this room.

I also will be dramatically improving the lighting by replacing the 4 bulb fixtures that hang down with 4 fluorescent fixtures which will be mounted in the ceiling joists. What the photos dont show is the furnace & water heater off in an alcove on the one side. This area will be enclosed as well to complete the finished space.

In the photos you’ll see our brand new washer and dryer, a housewarming gift from my Father and StepMother.  Thanks Guys!

Someone recently asked me why I am bothering with this. Well, a few reasons. First, I really dont like the dank, dusty room. Its cold and dirty and I want to fix that. Second, I would like it to be nicer with some custom amenities I have thought up, like better storage for laundry baskets, large counters where you can fold clothes, and a few other things.

One more reason. I believe the laundry room is themost overlooked room in the house when it comes to home improvement. Why? Well, its well known that the woman of the house usually decides if the house will be purchased and I have to surmise that a nicely done laundry room that will make her job easier will increase the value of the home. In this case we have the luxury of a large room for laundry, about 13×13, and its located off the basement, which I will be finishing soon. So for a family this could be ideal where Mom can do laundry, be comfortable, while the kids play in the finished basement / family room.

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A few quick phots of the deck lighting. This lighting provides enough light to walk around the deck at night and see where your going, but not enough to light up the neighborhood..

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Finally got the microwave installed over the stove.

This wasnt as easy a task as it normally would be. Our kitchen cabinets were hand made at some point and aren’t built to exact standard dimensions. So, I had to not only remove the old cabinet, but build a replacement for it.

Here you see the old stove and hood that was there when we bought the house:

and, with a little work (and still in need of painting, the installed microwave and new cabinet.

I havent decided what to do with the center of the cabinet yet, but im thinking a simple glass shelf in the center. I plan to replace all the kitchen cabinets in the coming months, so no sense doing more then I have to. I figure I can hide the outlet with a plant or something and that’ll be ok for awhile. So, now I think we can finally clean the kitchen and stop the plaster dust getting all over everything.

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