Watch the video at the link. It's really inspiring. Incredible that the old man did all the work himself, beginning with ripping down all the vines that had become a "mouse highway" to all the various holes in the place. How much after-tax income would they have had to spend to hire others to do this work? On the other hand, how many people can do this kind of work for themselves?
Here's the local newspaper coverage, which got me looking for the first link.
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Wow.
Is he retired?
Nice job. Nice house.
Is it pronounced "clap board" or "cla" board?
The Texas Senate 2013 Best Curb Appeal Redo is Wendy Davis. Removing the "mouse highway," she's taken the simple and obvious steps of going blonde, straightening, and getting a somewhat competent cut. How much after-tax income would she have had to spend to hire others to do this work? On the other hand, how many people can do this kind of work for themselves?
Cross-Pollinating Posts: It is What the Busy Betamax3000 Bee Does.
Cheeseheads at their finest! Skill, hard work, persistence, humility.
I dug a basement underneath my 1908 house by hand. Started out carrying buckets of dirt up a very steep stairs from the small root celler. Jacked up the parts of the house that had settled. Build cement forms and poured the walls (2 foot high at a time) until it was done.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
I forgot to say that I mixed all of the cement out of my cement mixer.
Rock and roll cement
I order 8 yards of aggregate at a time.
...and they own a Prius! Or maybe that's someone else's car in their driveway.
That's a beautiful house. But pretty big for two people. Good for them for doing all that work. I wonder how many years. 5? 6?
On the other hand, how many people can do this kind of work for themselves?
It depends on local building codes. Sometimes you need to hire the work done so that you can be assured that the county inspector will pass you. These days, with all the do-it-yourself step-by-step manuals available on Amazon 9be sure to use the Professor's link!) and videos for free on YouTube, not to mention do-it-yourself classes at the local Home Depot, it's typically more a question of available time (and knowledge of local building codes) than skill.
But does he cut his own hair?
it's typically more a question of available time (and knowledge of local building codes) than skill.
And willingness. It can be very depressing to look at 6 to 12 months of work. You have to get into the right mindset.
As far as codes go, they aren't hard to meet, even the asinine ones, but finding them is a chore in and of itself. They have also become more 'lawyerly' over the years, which starts to make interpretation harder.
traditionalguy said...
But does he cut his own hair?
No. He has a lawyer cut his hair.
AllenS said...
I dug a basement underneath my 1908 house by hand. Started out carrying buckets of dirt up a very steep stairs from the small root celler. Jacked up the parts of the house that had settled. Build cement forms and poured the walls (2 foot high at a time) until it was done.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Absolutely. the finesse part of the job takes the least amount of time. It's the grunt work that wears you down.
Replaced the drivers side lower ball joint on the Pathfinder this weekend. The actual replacing of the ball joint took about 15 minutes. To get to the point where I could drop in the new one took 3 1/2 hours.
Kroil. Get some.
"Incredible that the old man did all the work himself"...
Really, the old man?
He looks to be in his late 50's or early 60's. Bet he might be younger than Mick Jagger in another post.
He did all of it himself. I am impressed.
He did a great job. But for every skilled do-it-yourselfer is a couple score unskilled DIYs whose remodel projects are an abomination
Isn't it rather ... green? I mean, it's otherwise beautiful, but it just begs to be nicknamed "Emerald City."
Michelle Dulak Thomson said...
Isn't it rather ... green? I mean, it's otherwise beautiful, but it just begs to be nicknamed "Emerald City."
Apparently it was a popular color in the 1800s. We have one with almost the identicale paint scheme in our neighborhood.
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