My First Ranch

Studio is built

2011-01-01T20:24:00.001-05:00

Gotta paint, trim and box in, but is otherwise finished. Starting on the kitchen soon. Complete remodel...

Backyard about to be turned upside down

2010-04-26T17:02:00.001-04:00

Art Studio!

2010-02-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

Setting the footings, yo!

Cork Floors

2010-01-11T12:34:00.002-05:00

Cork floors be going down and shit. it's the cat's pajama's meowing bee's knees! photros coming soon!

p.s. double check your measurements when figuring out how much flooring you'll need. i came up short and come to find out i needed 600 more bones to pony up to finish my floors! boo on me, yay for the economy!

Thanks Mom!

2010-01-02T11:20:00.001-05:00

Cool vintage book from 1952 my Mom gave me!

Happy New Year! Subfloor repair

2009-12-31T14:36:00.003-05:00

upon removing the carpet in the master bedroom, i noticed some of the subfloor was pretty bad off. the previous owners had correctly repaired the subfloor in the bathroom (caused by a water leak), but i guess stopped at the bedroom. luckily it's not much to repair and will tackle that this afternoon. Also I'm reusing the trim to cut down on resources (which I labelled on the back to identify where each piece goes). I'll just sand them, prime and paint with no VOC paint of course!

So I've been installing the cork floors

New Sconces

2009-11-24T16:37:00.001-05:00

Bought some new sconces for the entry way. These are some cool lights.
They only accept 3 prong CFL's and automatically come on at night
(unless I turn the switch off inside)

Removing Fake Shutters

2009-10-23T18:53:00.001-04:00

Oi! Who in the world thought of fake shutters? One of the most
disgusting "embellishments" of modern home design. Okay they aren't
that bad but I find them highly annoying. So off they come!

And the walls come tumblin' down!

2009-10-15T14:47:00.001-04:00

Making room for my big 'ol Buick!

Garage Door finally installed!

2009-09-14T14:14:00.002-04:00

In less than 5 hours a one man army by the name of Tony installed my 18' wide x 7' tall garage door all by himself. He did an excellent job and was very nice, explained everything and was very professional. Thank you Lowe's!

Movie Seats are Finished!

2009-09-10T14:33:00.000-04:00

Yes, that is underlighting. I installed rope lighting on the underside
of the platform. It looks totally awesome in total darkness. (camera
doesnt do well in low light, so i had turn on some other lights)
Juuuuuust enough ambient light to grab some popcorn or steal a kiss
from you S.O.!

"Stage" for movie seats

2009-08-26T11:46:00.001-04:00

About to finish it up. Got the electrical working nicely with rope
lighting. The "stage" has a nice floating effect and looks great with
the hidden rope lighting. I'll post pics of that once it's all complete.

Frame for restored movie seats

2009-08-13T19:06:00.001-04:00

So while I was in Nashvile I scored a set of rickety old movie seats
for $50. Right before I moved to Athens I took them completely apart,
de rusted them, reupholstered, repainted the hardware and restained
the wooden arm rests. They came out beautiful. Alas i had to keep the
parts in boxes as I haven't had a proper place to put them/show them
off until now that I have a house. The thing is they connect to one a
other and are extremely cumbersome and heavy to move around. So I got
the idea that I would build a mini stage to bolt them to and give them
a place to reside as I do t want to go drilling holes in the floors of
my house. So I've taken some pics of the progress. I haven't decided
how I'm going to finish them. I thought of using red carpet to go with
the whole movie them, but I really can't stand carpet and red won't
look good in the living room. So I'm thinking of staining it a dark
stain to match the arm rests. What do ya think?

Back to fencing

2009-08-10T21:39:00.001-04:00

While I wait on Lowes to install the garage I'm moving back to working
on the fence. The dogs can't wait!

Who's There?

2009-08-09T17:06:00.002-04:00

Scored a nice 2 tone retro-ish door bell at Lowes. It was on sale for
$17 (from 69.95!) Install was a cinch. Also scored a free original 1950's
Philco TV cabinet off of Craigslist. The tube is out, but it is in excellent condition.
I plan on installing a flatscreen LCD in it.

Finish out for Garage

2009-08-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

Just a couple of pics of my handy work and 2 new Dewalt tools added to
my tool collection. My original miter saw was stolen from my carport
not long after I moved in. Everything I've worked on up until this
past weekend was cut with my $20 handsaw. Kind of ironic that now I'm
using my new miter saw to finish the garage for the door to secure
said tools. I think I just opened up a wormhole...

Hairpin Legs and All

2009-07-24T16:47:00.001-04:00

After rummaging through my parents' 2 storage units, my mom offered
this great sewing table that someone had made for my grandmother way
back when. I love the hairpin legs. It's going to look great with my
butterfly chair! I also scored a killer credenza that was one of my
parent's first pieces of furniture that they bought in the early 60's.
I'll post a photo of it later. I'm thinking about putting it back to back
with my couch in the living room.

Garage Door soon!

2009-07-22T11:57:00.001-04:00

Purchasing Garage door next week and still working on the privacy
fence. While vacationing at Folly Beach, SC for a friend's wedding a
month ago I saw the coolest touch to the gate of a privacy fence. The
owner had used bamboo poles of varying height to cover the gate
(instead of 1x6 boards) It was so awesome. I plan on doing the same
thing so right now I'm searching for bamboo poles!

Will L. Eskridge
www.willeskridge.com
biffbangpow.etsy.com

Sent from my iPhone

Painting Garage, Garden and Privacy Fence

2009-06-11T10:06:00.006-04:00

Finally got the siding on the garage painted. I'll be installing corrugated metal roofing on the top part to give a real modern look. I think it'll be awesome. Check out my cucumber plant in my home made topsy turvy planter I made from a 2 liter bottle! yesterday at lunch I saw a bumblebee pollinating all the blooms! yay! In other news I've started the privacy fence as well. It's going pretty good and I really like the hard work. and hard work it is. I'm still using a clam shell post hole digger. People told me to just rent a one person auger, but honestly i really like the work out. My day job consists of sitting on my ass staring at a computer screen, so I take any chance to get outside and work out my body. Be sure to check out my carrots, pole beans and okra plant as well in the photos.

Things I've learnt...

2009-03-31T12:55:00.007-04:00

thus far: (it's okay to laugh)

Measure twice, cut once.
Be sure to install trim BEFORE the siding.
Cutting fiber cement siding pre install with a utility knife is a pain in the ass.
Cutting fiber cement siding post install with a utility knife is a royal pain in the ass (see note 2.)
Beware of malfunctioning caulk tubes.
Caulk is great...when used sparingly.
Caulk is actually an "everything" magnet and you will find it where you least expect it. (see notes 5 and 6.)
Save your hardware store receipts.
Be sure to begin work on a satisfied stomach. Working when hungry only makes the project you are working on take longer and annoying.
Do not buy the cheapest materials. I repeat: Do NOT buy the cheapest materials.
Never assume any pre-constructed surface is square or plumb. ever.
A girlfriend who helps you put up fiber cement siding should be taken out to a fancy dinner immediately. Flowers would probably be good too.
3:1 rule - If you hit your thumb more than 3 times while driving nails, it would be wise to stop nailing.
If you think you need a 6 foot ladder, buy an 8 foot.
A good set of properly built saw horses is worth it's weight in gold.
Those saw horse brackets are worthless pieces of junk. (see note 15)

More to come....

More Photos of Garage Conversion

2009-03-24T08:00:00.004-04:00

Here are some more photos of the garage conversion. It is going very nicely I have to say. I've been having a lot of fun. Ginny helped me with the siding on Sunday. I'm using Hardiplank which is a fiber cement siding which is basically concrete. It's an non-toxic, eco friendly choice and is made from cement, silica and wood fibers. It was a little tricky to get use to. But after messing up one plank, we figured it out and got our groove and put the siding up in a few hours. You can read all about the product here.

I'm also adding the sides to the opening to accommodate a garage door. After the garage is done, I'm on to the privacy fencing!

Carport to Garage

2009-03-12T22:09:00.005-04:00

I've been working pretty feverishly on converting my carport to a garage. In the past few weeks I've managed to frame out the exposed side, install sheathing, weather resistant barrier and 2 windows! It's been a very good learning experience and lot of fun. The only thing I'm not really happy with is the lack of "green" materials available in the area. I'm trying to be as eco-conscious as possible, but it's been a little tough. First I wanted to use FSC certified lumber. I could have sworn the Home Depot was one of the major proponents and carriers of FSC lumber. Well it must be region/store specific, because the Home Depot here as nada. Next I was trying to find "green" sheathing. I contacted a company called Berry Plastics that makes a great product called "Thermoply" However their regional sales person didn't really seem to know this area and said I could try 84 lumber. However, I called the local 84 lumber and they said they don't carry it. Then I'm trying to find eco friendly caulk and expanding foam. There's a low VOC caulk by Geocel and a soy based foam by Touch n Foam. Neither of which can be found in the area. Geocel's website lists a local Power Building Supply as a distributer. Says they are open on Saturdays, so I drove by and the place looks closed down and looks like a junk yard rather than a building supply. However I did manage to use a flashing that is made from recycled rubber! Yay! Sure I could order some of these things online, but how "green" would it be to have 2 cans of expanding foam shipped by a huge diesel rig? Or for me to drive all the way to Asheville and back for a couple of FSC certified boards? If anybody has any suggestions I am all ears. Enough of the soap box, below are some photos of the progress. I didn't get to take photos of the windows installed yet, as I just did this and finished at 10:00 p.m. so it's dark. I'll post tomorrow if I get a chance to take some photos. (The weird close photo is of my pliers stuck under the footer board. I inadvertently forgot they were there and couldn't for the life of me figure out why the board wouldn't tighten down. Luckily I figured it out before I cracked the brick foundation or split the board!) stay tuned...

A Few Photos

2009-01-20T07:49:00.004-05:00

Here are some photos of the finished laundry room and then a couple of the messy living room and kitchen. I did the natural slate tile job and replaced the baseboards as well. Those movie seats are ones I restored and you can see my cat Beaufort on top of my new microwave in the kitchen photo!

Cork Floors and Slate Tile

2008-12-09T17:32:00.005-05:00

I promise I'll be posting photos soon. The good thing is that I've been busy with the house (and a few other things) The laundry is coming along very nicely. I laid down the slate tile and installed a nice modest frosted globe light fixture. I also installed new power outlets and light switches. The only thing left to do is install new baseboards.

My next project is installing cork floors. I ran into a bit of snafu with the flooring company (iFloor). I placed an order for some cork flooring to cover my living room and hallway to start. I used their no interest/no payments for 18 months credit offer. (I know, I know, I already had a conversation with my brother about financing home improvements...) Anyways the company just filed for chapter 11 and I can get anyone on the phone to find out how and when I can pick up my flooring. Soooooo I guess that's a clue that I should not have financed my flooring. Waiting to hear back from their attorneys...

Orange Laundry Room, New Refrigerator

2008-11-03T20:36:00.009-05:00

My first week in the house has gone pretty well. One of the "surprises" was that the refrigerator didn't work. As much as I like to cook, this was a priority. I was planning on updating the appliances in the future anyways, just not this soon. So purchasing a new refrigerator moved to the front burner, so to speak. I settled on going with bisque color appliances since I don't really like stainless steel, black is too gloomy and white is just so...what's the word i'm looking for? white. Bisque is pretty retro without committing to seafoam green or avocado (by the way I actually love both of these colors) Plus I'm planning on using earthy colors throughout the house so I think the bisque color will compliment pretty well. I've been doing tons and tons of research on "green" remodeling and energy efficient appliances, etc. "They" say that a fridge with a bottom freezer is the most energy efficient. Which is totally awesome, because I love bottom freezers. I think they look cooler too and somehow more classic. So I got a 21 cubic inch Maytag. I really wanted a Frigidaire but they don't have any bottom freezers and seem to duck the bisque color scheme for the most part. No biggy, the Maytag is freaking awesome! It's sooo huge. Now there's no excuse for me not to cook wonderful meals from now on!

Next, my friend Ginny found me an awesome 70's pearl crushed velvet couch at a Goodwill in Atlanta. We went to pick it up this past Saturday. While we were over in the neighborhood we stopped by SimpleFloors. They are one of many flooring places that carry bamboo, cork and other eco friendly flooring. After much research I have decided cork is the best way to go given my dogs and my back. It apparently "gives" a little bit, kind of absorbing shock and stress. I also prefer the designs that are available in cork over the bamboo. There's swirly kind that is available from many brands that I freakin' love. I got some samples from the store and took them back to the house and I think it's going to work just fine. I'm going with the floating kind so I don't have to mess around with glue. I'll have to do the house room by room instead of all at once given my budget. I'm going to do the biggest room (the living room) first to get that wallet pain out of the way. It's going to cost around $1000 for that room and about another $1700 for the rest of the rooms that I want to do. $2700 total - not too bad.

Last, I wanted to start on something that would be small, inexpensive and rewarding. Luckily the laundry room is the first thing I see when I enter the house. This room is about 6x3 feet. I decided I'll tile the floor, paint the walls and replace the lighting fixture. Simple, but enough work to make me feel like I'm doing something. So tonight I painted it "Lucky Penny", a sort of light rusty orange. It's by Olympic's Low VOC paint. (I'm trying to go as green as possible on this house). Tomorrow I'll stop by Lowe's and pick out a nice, simple light fixture. I'd like to use reclaimed tile, but since the room is so small, it might be more "green" for me to get a few new tiles at Lowe's rather than have a few recycled tiles shipped via air polluting diesel rig from out of state. Pictures soon....

Keys are in my hand!

2008-10-24T22:32:00.003-04:00

It's official. I am a homeowner! The closing went pretty smooth this morning. I put in new locks and already started ripping up the carpet. My Dad and my brother are coming down tomorrow to help move. Kim and Ginny are also going to help with the move this weekend. I'll be posting some more pics next week. Hip-Hip-Hooray!

Just in time for Fall and the Holidays!

2008-10-05T23:10:00.004-04:00

The seller accepted my offer and we're in the middle of negotiations now. I meet with my realtor tomorrow morning. The inspection was last week and it all looks fine with just a few things, so I don't think it will take long to get the negotiations worked out. We'll be closing on October 24th. I'm going to rip up the carpet and refinish the hardwood floors over that weekend. My friend Kim is going to help me move on Monday, the 27th and I'm going to have a pumpkin carving party on Wednesday, the 29th. I'm so thrilled that I'm going to be spending the Fall and the holidays in my new house! So good so far...

Roller Coaster Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

2008-09-26T12:50:00.005-04:00

The house in Hull didn't work out. The sellers didn't want to come down from their asking price and it was just more than I wanted to pay for my first home and according to my budget. It was a great house but not the one. That was on Monday. Come Tuesday, a 3 bedroom, 2 bath brick with a 2 car carport popped up on one of my daily web searches. It had just hit the realestatebook. I immediately contacted my realtor and went to look at it on Wednesday. I fell in love with it from the get go. The layout is classic ranch. The carport is huge. The yard is beautiful. The hallway bathroom has a tub and the master bath has a walk in shower. I immediately started seeing me tiling the bathrooms, ripping up the carpet and refinishing the hardwood floors.

I won't lie to you, it's a little rough around the edges. It has been a rental for the past 20 years. It has this hilarious faux wood linoleum in the kitchen and master bath and abused carpet through out. But the "bones" seem to be all sound except for a floor joist under the hallway bathroom. Apparently there was a leak that no one knew about and caused some problems there. However they are going to fix it. The open kitchen is perfect for me to tile and redo cabinets. The kitchen sink window looks out to the back yard and sliding glass door provides access to the backyard. Exactly what I want. I can see my custom patio with a saline hottub. Privacy fence with organic garden and firepit. The dogs frolicking...

Here's the big news. They are asking $80,000 with a $2000 retainer for carpet. My kind of price! Since I don't want carpet we're going to negotiate that. So we put in an offer of $78000. (Their asking price was about 9 grand below the tax assessed value and I don't want to dilly dally) I'm anxiously waiting to hear back today! Fingers crossed...

A Home in Hull?

2008-09-22T14:38:00.007-04:00

It may be possible. My realtor showed me a beautiful 1965 brick ranch with an asking price of $94,900. It's a 3 bedroom with 2 full baths. That's right, 2 FULL baths. I would have a master bath. Totally sweet. It's got a 2 car carport with an added carport. All on a little over half acre in a nice neighborhood in Hull (about 15 minutes from Athens) I called my folks and emailed my brother. They all said go for it. I talked with my realtor and we both agreed on offering $87,000 (and they pay closing costs roughly $3000). So they countered with $96900 with them paying closing costs, which kind of through me off. This to them is $93,900 since they would have to pay $3000 in closing costs, so they came down $1000. It kind of turned me off, but my realtor said to not get discouraged; it's just a big poker game. They are trying to find my top and I'm trying to find their bottom. I counter-countered with $89, 500 which is $2500 up from my initial offer. I figured this would help show that I'm serious and interested by offering more than what they came down from. The frustrating thing is that it's an estate so there's more than one person having to decide on a number. It also hasn't been on the market that long so they might not be as motivated as we'd like. We'll see, they may just walk away. In the meantime check out the shots I took. It's an awesome house.

1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward

2008-09-17T00:32:00.004-04:00

There was a small 3 bedroom in a cul de sac over on the East Side. It had been on the market for over a year. I was kind of dragging my feet about it just because it didn't quite speak to me when I first saw it. Well I went to look at it on a Friday and talked with my parents and my brother and over the weekend started getting really excited about all I would do to it to fix it up. It had a great yard. Asking 86,900. The only real negative was that there wasn't central air. Well I was prepared to put in an offer on Monday, but my realtor emailed me and informed me that the sellers had accepted an offer that came in late Friday. I couldn't believe it! I checked a couple weeks later and indeed they had closed. I've been sort of kicking myself the past couple of weeks because of it. Just as well, it was pretty tiny, even for a 3 bedroom. I'm getting very close though. I can feel it! I'm going to look at 2 recent listings this Friday. They aren't in the exact location I want to be, but they do look promising. Wish me luck!

No Dice

2008-08-08T22:53:00.002-04:00

Well I put in an offer and the sellers countered and we were just too far apart. I put in a counter-counter and they walked away so back to searching. No big deal, I know something will pop up. I was nervous as hell before I put in the offer. Almost sick to my stomach. It was good to experience that though and now I kind of now how putting an offer works and will hopefully be a little more comfortable for the next time. Back to the search...

Putting in an offer!

2008-08-06T00:35:00.000-04:00

So I met with my realtor today and we chatted a bit. Looks like I'm putting in an offer tomorrow. Stay tuned!...

This one looks promising

2008-08-04T23:39:00.000-04:00

So my realtor called me last week while I was in Savannah and told me she knew of 2 houses that were right up my alley and hadn't hit the market yet. So we agreed to look at them today. The first one was beautiful. It had very cool 3 panel floor to ceiling windows on the front, sliding glass door leading the kitchen to the patio in the back yard. It's in an established neighborhood (forest heights) but it was out of my price range and was already renovated so we went over to see the other one on the east side. It's an up and coming area and the house is in the middle of renovation. I have to be honest I smiled from the minute I first saw it til we got back into the car. A 2 car carport, 3 bedroom with an enormous addition and 2 full baths. Nice flat lot with a privacy fence. It's basically everything I'm looking for. Built in 1968 which is almost too young (I know, I'm crazy!) There's enough cosmetic work to be done to keep me busy and allow me to put my own stamp on the house without being overwhelming. They installed a new metal roof and central air. Newer appliances in the kitchen and even a dishwasher! There is a rub, but possibly with a silver lining. The owners need to sell so they can move within 3 weeks. So I kind of need to act fast. I don't want them to do anymore reno work, but I can't very well ask them to stop unless I put in an offer. So I'll be going over tomorrow at lunch to take some more photos (sorry for this crappy one!) and making my final decision tomorrow about putting in an offer. My thinking is that I can put in a low offer with the agreement that they don't need to do anymore work which would be attractive to both of us. We'll see...

Still looking...

2008-07-10T23:46:00.000-04:00

So yeah, i'm still looking. this awesome, modest 70's one popped up, but no carport! it's a 2 bedroom so it's probably just a bit too small for me and the pack anyways. still cool, though. The longer it takes, the more money I'll have saved up which is good. Still, "the way-yay-ting is the hardest part"

"Dream" by the Everly Brothers

2008-07-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

It's going a little slower than I thought it would. I thought since this is supposedly a buyer's market that I would find a few that I liked fairly quickly. I have seen a few that I sort of liked, but they tend to have a fairly big negative: One house that I really liked, didn't have a carport and it had some mold issues along with some other cryptic things on the disclosure. Another house had no HVAC or duct work (no AC in Georgia, seriously?) In general it seems there's not too much for sale down here. My brother told me there are for sale signs all over Nashville. My only assumption is that since Athens is a small town, there's simply not a lot of properties compared to a bigger city, hence not a lot for sale. Also my realtor explained to me that summer is generally slow in any market and so sellers may have taken their houses off the market until the fall, when college kids are moving back and things in general pick up around here. I scour realtor.com and trulia.com and countless other real estate sites (with the same damn expired listings) at least 3 or 4 times through the day in hopes of finding a fresh listing. I've burned 2 tanks of gas in a weekend driving through all kinds of neighborhoods rubberneckin' looking for those ugly yard signs. I've only been looking since May, but anybody that knows me, knows I'm an impatient SOB. I use to throw major temper tantrums when I was kid when I wanted something. Turning all beet red, stamping my feet. I don't plan on doing this and it really doesn't accomplish anything anymore (except passing out from hyperventilation and sore feet) So in the meantime, while I wait with white knuckles for the next house for sell to pop up, I've been looking through my current issue of Atomic Ranch. I've been picking up this magazine for about 2 years now. It is the ultimate source for inspiration. Even the ads in the magazine get me pumped. Who knew that a full page ad for Crestview Doors could get me so excited! I've also been sketching out and writing stuff down that I'll want to do and get for the house. Sort of a little backwards, but it's a lot of fun and keeps me from getting down or frustrated.

Slow Summer

2008-07-01T19:31:00.000-04:00

I went over to the Whitehead area today. I really dig this area of Athens. It's not too far out, yet not overcrowded with SUV driving college students. Word on the street is that there's a lot of young professionals moving over to this area and cleaning up/remodeling these homes. I hope I'm not too late!
There's quite a few 50's and 60's brick ranches over there. I took a look at one on Lillian Drive. Seller is asking $109,900 which is at the top of my budget. Well of course that's the asking price, so I would be buying at a lower price than that. Anyways, the house itself is okay. There's a perfect carport to house my '53 Buick. The lot, was really not to my liking. Neighbors were a little too close. The lot slopes in the back and levels out which allows a nice unfinished basement in the back. However there's no access to the basement from the inside of the house. Poor Leeloo (my 7 year old Great Dane) probably wouldn't want to have to go up and down stairs EVERYTIME nature calls. This also means that access to the top of the house in the back is about 2 stories high. I'm slightly (okay extremely) acrophobic (fear of heights) so this limits my handyman-ness for maintaining the house myself: gutter cleaning, painting the siding at the top, roof work, soffit/facia replacement, etc.I envision a nice fairly flat lot in the back that I can fence in. The house was built in 1960 which is okay, but I'm really wanting something from the 50's. So the hunt continues...

On the hunt!

2008-06-30T12:32:00.001-04:00

It's time. I'm ready. I've been fantasizing about it for 5 years.

It's now on the horizon. I'm in the market for a 50's (or 60's) ranch style home.

The horizontal lines. The seafoam green kitchen with sliding glass door allowing access to the slate patio in the back with a charcoal barbecue and tiki bar. The black and white tile and pedestal sink in the bathroom. Pulling up into the carport with the slanted roof in my 1953 Buick (from my solo art reception of course!) It's right there in front of me. However I'm getting a little ahead of myself. You see, I'm smack dab in the middle of searching for my dream home. That's right, I want to take you through the entire process.

Down here in Athens, it's seems ranch style homes are fairly rare. I guess not too many people were coming back from the war to reside in lil' 'ol Athens to attend UGA. Here, the pre-war craftsman, kits and cottages are what is popular. Then it seems in the 70's they got duplex fever and popped them up everywhere. In the 80's and 90's it was the condos. Now it's the brand new "choose between 4 pastel colors and 4 styles" cookie cutters. And that's all fine and dandy. I'm not dogging those. That's why they make chocolate and vanilla as my Dad would say. I just prefer a ranch and finding a ranch down here (or in the South in general) seems to be a little tougher than I thought it would be. I'm not looking for an Eichler style, but I would like something fairly unique with good clean horizontal lines. Specifically a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath brick with carport on .5 - 1 acre. However, I remain optimistic, because they are here and available. The house will find me... soon...