Rats! We found this little guy inside our home after a cold snap (well, cold for San Diego) and knew this was just the tip of the iceberg. He was easily relocated out to the edge of the yard. This wouldn’t be the last… A few days later, another rat by our inside garage door.… Continue reading Rodent Hardening Garage Door
Category: House Hacks-Tips and Tricks
Jacuzzi J-345 Tune Up
The time had come when we decided we needed a hot tub to bridge the gap until we can build our pool. As supply chain issues still plague vendors into 2021, a new unit was out of the running; with 6-12 month delivery times! Looking for used hot tubs was a continued bust, months turned… Continue reading Jacuzzi J-345 Tune Up
Day 1160: Shade Sails in Backyard
It is June 10, 2021, and it is time to break ground on our shade sail project! We will revisit some of the work we overlapped with our roof replacement so you don’t have to go back and filter through that entire project. Our rough draft sketched out, we plan to use three 24′ triangular… Continue reading Day 1160: Shade Sails in Backyard
Our John Deere 400 Tractor
One of the many recurring themes of 2021: hunting for deals on anything used with life left. Our Green Egg was a major win, and after two years of searching in earnest for a yard tractor, we found one for sale minutes from our home. Here is a short tour of our score, and some… Continue reading Our John Deere 400 Tractor
Chicken Coop and Run
Officially Day 1099, we broke ground three years and three days after closing 🙂 We though we would have chickens sooner, but we made it nonetheless! For 2021 we brought home six hens, but we wanted our project to be able to house twelve comfortably both in the coop, and in the run. Total dimensions… Continue reading Chicken Coop and Run
Repairing Cracked XL Green Egg Ceramic Firebox
2024 Update: Original Post: Eric found a killer deal on an XL Green Egg locally, and made the purchase after drooling over one for years. She was lightly used, and in very good shape. Pictured here after reassembly and clean up. The purpose of the post was likely caused by the moving process. The Egg… Continue reading Repairing Cracked XL Green Egg Ceramic Firebox
Day 13, 572, 773: Surveillance System
Our last foray into this topic was in 2014, and since then technology has increased exponentially while costs have dropped in unison. We will walk you through our current surveillance system that was used as a security feature while our home was vacant and under construction, to the final form that can keep an eye… Continue reading Day 13, 572, 773: Surveillance System
Upcycle: Butcher Block Remnant to Cutting Board
A piece of “scrap” butcher block from this project Day 900: Floating Desk piqued Eric’s interest: could it be used on our Weber Performer? A quick fit says it was meant to do exactly that! The second step was to remove and clean the cutting board from the grill, and clamp the butcher block to… Continue reading Upcycle: Butcher Block Remnant to Cutting Board
Tool Hack- Cabinet Door Pull Jig
I purchased this jig reluctantly on Amazon, due in large part to it’s high cost. I bounced the idea around overnight, and the accuracy of our door pulls outweighed my frugality. One small detail though… the edge stop needed to be flipped 180 degrees. The knob wouldn’t allow it.
Tool Hack- Demo Hammer Spade to Tile Remover
I’m not going to beat around the bush: having access to metal working tools is a major advantage for any home improvement project. I bought this demo hammer from Harbor Freight on sale after weighing the rental costs from the local big box store. It was an excellent purchase, and saved me a ton of… Continue reading Tool Hack- Demo Hammer Spade to Tile Remover