House update, such as it is

Last weekend dad was down at the Oregon Country Fair, so I worked in the yarden rather than the studio (with a bit of help from the lovely Emony42). This weekend we'd planned on moving the gas line, but then realized that we needed a long band rehearsal on Sunday and wanted to do a spontaneous jam/performance with friends early Friday evening, and suddenly there just didn't seem to be enough time (gas lines not being something you can really do half-way and then leave). We ended up planning the route for the gas line and buying most of the fittings, then starting work on the north wall framing, since that's easier to do piecemeal.

...and by 'starting work on the north wall' I mean "I panicked and freaked out about window height, which is the same damn decision I've already freaked out about at least three times over the last six months."

I can make this kind of decision at work and I can help other people make this kind of decision, but apparently when it's MY house it's suddenly worthy of a near anxiety attack, despite the fact that every time I flip out about it I <i>end up coming back to the same decision</i>.

So. My studio will have a line of windows in the north wall with tops almost a foot higher than the top line of the other windows and doors in the house, because higher light is better for the studio, and because it makes them feel more like true transom/clerestory windows, rather than the bunker feel a long row of slit windows at chin height gives (which I'm too familiar with, because it's what we have at work). And I am fine with that.

See that, internet? DESCISION. I MADE IT. AGAIN. NO MORE FREAK OUTS. One wall of windows won't match and I'll do clever things with trim on the lower window and door to make it look intentional and awesome and no one but me will notice anyway.

Anyway. Dad was very patient through my freak-out. I know he finds my indecisiveness a little trying, but he was awesome, and he did things to help me visualize it (like tacking up a long 1x2 so I could see where the proposed bottom of the windows was, and pointing out how many 2x4s I had to stand on to bring my toes up to the level of the eventual floor). But when you add in 'time for freak-out' and 'early evening music engagement' and 'human beings get tired and make mistakes and half hour jobs take 2 hours to do' we ended up not actually cutting anything. There's one stud that wasn't there before; that's as far as we got in terms of physical changes.

We did get everything laid out -- the stud positions are marked on the top plate (I didn't second-guess my horizontal window placement, at least!), and we have a perfectly level reference line, even though it took three tries (bumped the legs of the builder's level; oops!). The level reference line is when we decided to quite, actually -- making two stupid mistakes in ten minutes is a good indication to step back before you pick up a saw.

I really want to get going -- I can't believe how fast the summer's gone -- but next weekend is out of the question because we have a giant gig Sunday, and neither of us can risk injury or exhaustion when we have to play for three hours the next day.


Speaking of which, we're playing at the farmer's market next Sunday! Go us!


Dad and I def. need to coordinate some time off, though -- there are just too many jobs that require more than one short day's worth of time at a go.

Oh! I DID get more yarden work done Friday, so that's some progress. I've got cardboard down all the way to the back rhododendron, and mulch on most of it. I still need to move a few wheelbarrow loads of mulch -- four? six? -- and I should start collecting cardboard again, since I'm now out. But it looks pretty good, and it's one less area to weed for awhile!

House update, such as it is

Last weekend dad was down at the Oregon Country Fair, so I worked in the yarden rather than the studio (with a bit of help from the lovely Emony42). This weekend we'd planned on moving the gas line, but then realized that we needed a long band rehearsal on Sunday and wanted to do a spontaneous jam/performance with friends early Friday evening, and suddenly there just didn't seem to be enough time (gas lines not being something you can really do half-way and then leave). We ended up planning the route for the gas line and buying most of the fittings, then starting work on the north wall framing, since that's easier to do piecemeal.

...and by 'starting work on the north wall' I mean "I panicked and freaked out about window height, which is the same damn decision I've already freaked out about at least three times over the last six months."

I can make this kind of decision at work and I can help other people make this kind of decision, but apparently when it's MY house it's suddenly worthy of a near anxiety attack, despite the fact that every time I flip out about it I end up coming back to the same decision.

So. My studio will have a line of windows in the north wall with tops almost a foot higher than the top line of the other windows and doors in the house, because higher light is better for the studio, and because it makes them feel more like true transom/clerestory windows, rather than the bunker feel a long row of slit windows at chin height gives (which I'm too familiar with, because it's what we have at work). And I am fine with that.

See that, internet? DECISION. I MADE IT. AGAIN. NO MORE FREAK OUTS. One wall of windows won't match and I'll do clever things with trim on the lower window and door to make it look intentional and awesome and no one but me will notice anyway.

Anyway. Dad was very patient through my freak-out. I know he finds my indecisiveness a little trying, but he was awesome, and he did things to help me visualize it (like tacking up a long 1x2 so I could see where the proposed bottom of the windows was, and pointing out how many 2x4s I had to stand on to bring my toes up to the level of the eventual floor). But when you add in 'time for freak-out' and 'early evening music engagement' and 'human beings get tired and make mistakes and half hour jobs take 2 hours to do' we ended up not actually cutting anything. There's one stud that wasn't there before; that's as far as we got in terms of physical changes.

We did get everything laid out -- the stud positions are marked on the top plate (I didn't second-guess my horizontal window placement, at least!), and we have a perfectly level reference line, even though it took three tries (bumped the legs of the builder's level; oops!). The level reference line is when we decided to quite, actually -- making two stupid mistakes in ten minutes is a good indication to step back before you pick up a saw.

I really want to get going -- I can't believe how fast the summer's gone -- but next weekend is out of the question because we have a giant gig Sunday, and neither of us can risk injury or exhaustion when we have to play for three hours the next day.


Speaking of which, we're playing at the farmer's market next Sunday! Go us!


Dad and I def. need to coordinate some time off, though -- there are just too many jobs that require more than one short day's worth of time at a go.

Oh! I DID get more yarden work done Friday, so that's some progress. I've got cardboard down all the way to the back rhododendron, and mulch on most of it. I still need to move a few wheelbarrow loads of mulch -- four? six? -- and I should start collecting cardboard again, since I'm now out. But it looks pretty good, and it's one less area to weed for awhile!