The New Bar

The new patio bar took its place on the deck this weekend. Have to say, I'm quite pleased. It started out as a gazebo frame we really didn't like - tacky flowers anyone? - and took down five years ago. I cut the frame apart with a jigsaw, and a test-fit the pieces on the deck to come up with the perfect proportions. (Which is one of the absolute best things about building custom - you get to build stuff to fit just where you want it to with no compromises.) Redwood top and shelves, with vintage enamel basins (eBay finds) inset into the prep shelf. Priced similar outdoor bars in a few catalogs, and $2,000 is a reasonable price. This cost less than $300 - redwood was the biggest expense so far. Tequila costs have yet to be calculated...

This Thing Old is New Again

Here's our TV stand, old and new. It's the same piece of furniture - just cut apart and rebuilt sideways.

Needed to add new stain-grade oak trim and buy new hardware and a pocket-screw jig to build it, but that was under a $90 investment for a pretty big piece of living room furniture. I'm please with the outcome - what do you think?

Trying to Get Race Ready

I have 12 days until Rally School and the season's first event, and it's going to be close.

Right now, you can see the tops of my raised-piano pistons. The head is at a shop in Modesto (new cam installed and valves done) and the instake manifold if on my workbench, getting ground and polished to fit the new Weber 38 carb and breath better. Can't do anything, though, until oversized eccentrics arrive, and the snowstorm/power outage/holiday means I can't order those until tomorrow. (Bad planning on my part when I placed the original order for the cam and springs.)

The new exhaust header is on another workbench, awaiting everything else to come together, then a visit to a muffler shop to get a larger exhaust system installed.

Seats are on sawhorses in front of the garage, awaiting cleaning, dying, custom bracket creation and mounting. And my distributor is completely thrashed.

And, oh yeah, it's cold outside...

The New Year's New Project Plans

Come by the house any time in the next few months, and you'll likely see something that looks like this kayak taking shape on my front porch. It's not the ideal building spot, but it's out of the weather and I think the porch will be wide enough. (Taking over the dining portion of the great room is my other idea, but being less well received at the moment.)

Of course, if I build one kayak I have to build two, so I'm set for projects through the end of spring.

A 1960s Jaguar 3.8 S remains on my wish list, but probably won't go any farther than that this year. Engine mods to this car, my '76 2002, to get it into the 140-150 hp range are on the table for 2011, as is entering it into a few more rally-type events than I was able to in 2010.

There's more to do in the back yard - improving the picnic area, getting better seating and moving the BBQ off the deck to make way for a bar all come to mind, but may or may not make the cut this summer.

That's because the big goal is acquiring the lot next door and building a proper shop and apartment above. Which means keeping other project-related expenses to a reasonable level. Or finding a wealthy benefactor to fund the land/shop/apartment acquisition. Wonder if the state of California would let me run a temporary lottery?

With the state's own fiscal woes, it just might if I cut Sacramento in for 30%...

Exceptions to Every Rule

When something breaks, it usually makes more sense to fix it than replace it. There are exceptions of course, especially when the repair would cost more than the replacement, but generally I'm a strong supporter of fixing what you've got.

But not always.

Our washer stopped cycling last week. (I realized it one afternoon when I came in from my shop/office and realized the whites I'd put in that morning were still washing five hours later.) That's a problem that can be fixed - a new timer mechanism is about $100. But the washer is 10 years old, and wasn't efficient even then. Today's high-efficiency models simply put it to shame, both in the amount of energy they use and the way they treat your clothes.

So, Consumer Reports gave us good direction, and sales and credit-card-cash-back deals kept the cost reasonable and a new washer came home Saturday. We've already saved $5 in quarters by being able to wash our comforter at home...

Just got the washer, though. New dryers aren't that much more efficient than old ones - there's just no efficient way to turn electricity into heat - so the old dryer will stick around until it dies a natural death.

Gotta Love Demo

There's not a lot that's more fun than demo. Building my first real road race car, and the first step is taking out all the stuff that separate road cars from race cars - carpet, sound insulation, trim, AC, sunroofs, radio, parcel shelf, door panels - you name it.


Here's some of the stuff that came out of the '89 325i this weekend.

New Deck: Done and Done!

Last of the finishing touches went up today. I built the stone planting area at the lower corner, which Diane will now prepare and plant. New hose rack and hose, dog bowls and the last of the pillows.

The hose you see in the second photo is for layout - that's where we'll level the ground a bit and install some kind of gravel or stone. The left-hand section of railing we installed is only a foot or so off the ground and is just for aesthetics. But it works - makes the whole deck look new and big (and connected), so was great bang-for-the-buck.

New furniture is the couch (which is really a chaise lounge - double duty!) zinc-topped table and the surprising comfy directors chairs. The nice thing about visiting an actual store that sells these items is that we got to sit in them there so knew they were comfy, then drag them around the store to see how they looked with the other pieces. (Not every place I shop welcomes me back, it must be said...)

We're really happy with the railing stain. The gray we started with looked so wrong, but adds and incredibly nice undertone to the dogwood stain I applied over the top. It's a lot lighter than most railings you see up here, and really did come out nice.

Diane repainted the Adirondack chairs we already had, and I liked the upside-down party bucket as a side table. (And yes we have another for actual parties.)

All in all, a very successful summer project!