Reduced erosion

So far so good after the recent storms. This area used to get a lot of surface runoff, becoming a river of erosion after each rain. Now it looks controlled. The trench drain system seems to be working well. Fast heavy water entering the trench gets carried to the back without losing a drop. Slow water too, gladly. Knock on wood. Newest tree (Brisbane box) is visible at the top center of photo, and surviving okay.



There's one more potential cause of erosion, however... subsurface water coming through the house foundation! Kinda scary, but apparently rainwater from the front yard runs underneath the driveway slab, flowing under the foundation grade beam, creating rivulets in the crawl space, pushing out again into the backyard, then runs under another small concrete walk, finally trickling onto this muddy path, as seen in the photo foreground. Relatively mild, but I'll definitely have to create a solution soon.

Brisbane box

Lophostemon confertus
(formerly Tristania confertus)

An evergreen tree to 30-50 feet in height with an equal spread. Upright growth habit when young, broadens with age, clusters of white 3/4 inch flowers bloom in summer. Produces woody fruit capsules. Red-brown bark peals to show lighter colored bark. Tolerates most any soil. Needs little to no summer water when established. Best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade. Prune branch tips when young for a full, well branched tree. No inspect or disease problems. Good street or lawn tree. Keep lower leaves for one or more seasons when young to provide extra growth energy.

5-gallon from East Bay Nursery $40

Surround sound

HDTV is not complete without Dolby Digital. It has to be at least a 5.1 system (five speakers + one subwoofer). Good thing I installed a bunch of 16-gauge speaker wires in the wall and attic during the closet removal on the other side. For the two rears I first thought of flush in-ceiling speakers. But that would require a custom system, and aiming the sound would still be questionable. My office in-wall speakers sound great, but the walls here are exterior -- there's insulation and a header beam to deal with.

So I decided to get a bundled system (sometimes referred to as HTIB or Home Theater In a Box) with wall-mountable satellites. I got the same make as the TV, which allows use of just one remote. I made triangular boxes so that simple wall-mounting brackets could be used, aiming was more versatile, and wiring easily routed from the ceiling. For its shape and size I had to consider the future window trim and crown moulding. I think it looks okay.

HDTV has to be experienced to be appreciated. There are many levels of quality. Digital is all-or-nothing. There's never poor picture (displays vary, but that's a different matter) -- if the signal is weak there's just no picture at all. Not all digital is HD. Not all HD takes advantage of rear speakers. Not all DVD players can upconvert to near-HD resolution. And proper HDMI and optical cabling becomes noticeable. But once everything is in place, the results are truly amazing.

Now Monday Night Football crowds scream from behind.



Check HD programming in your area.

Antenna grounding

Of course, electrical grounding is important for any metal object sticking up on a roof. I soldered a 14 gauge copper wire to the mast, threading it into the attic just like I did with the signal cable, then soldered again to a copper plumbing pipe. A little spray paint makes it look amazingly professional!

Notice my roof covering is metal tile (it only looks like clay tile from a distance). I wonder what effect it'll have during a lightning strike...

Antenna

HDTV is digital, which means broadcast reception can be as good as cable or satellite. So far, it actually seems better. You obviously don't get a hundred channels. But with all the major stations broadcasting in digital, over-the-air reception easily trumps a basic subscription like Comcast's $14/month. It's free afterall. It only requires an ASTC tuner (either built-in or, in the case of HDTV-ready sets, separately purchased).

According to antennaweb.org, the main direction for 14 of the 15 primary digital signals in my area is about 187 to 194 degrees in compass orientation. They're mostly 21.7 and 25.5 miles away, so a medium-range directional UHF antenna is what I needed. NBC is the only station on VHF, which it won't get. I figure I can give up watching NBC.

I got the 42XG from AntennasDirect.com for $59. Important is also a RG6 coaxial cable to minimize signal loss. I found a roof vent nearby to get it into the attic. From there it goes directly into an interior wall, then comes out through a grommet wallplate to the TV without any additional connection. The mast, chimney mount and cable standoffs are from Radio Shack.

It's also a good idea to check USGS topo maps like topozone.com. There's actually a 360-foot (altitude) hill about 7 miles in the same direction -- while I'm at 180 feet with about 40 feet up to antenna. Apparently it's no problem.

Making way for flatpanel

My TV died. So I went ahead and got new equipment even though I wasn't ready to remodel the family room where it'll go. It'll be pretty messy once things get started, but I suppose I can move everything into another room when the time comes.

First I had to sell my old entertainment center. Cabinets like this will soon be totally obsolete -- the TV bay doesn't fit today's widescreens, and FCC have established a deadline for final transition to HDTV by 2008. It's such a relief to have found a buyer willing to pay $140! Good riddance with cashback!

I got a flatpanel -- for versatility. They don't take up much space. Prices have dropped, too. The other high-end option was projector, but that would require considerable compromise to room decor for a screen and the projector location. A flatpanel is so hip.

Drain pipe

All components to the system are standard local building supply stock -- solid 3" PVC landscape drain pipe, slip-fit connectors, PVC grated trench, and crack-resistant concrete. See previous post for more information.

Completed just in time for the rainy season!

Total cost = $180

Drain outlet rear

Precise elevation drops are important for proper water flow while maintaining maximum pipe coverage. Here, the outlet at the curb was already set at no more than half an inch above the outflow lip. It establishes where all upstream pipes must connect. Minimal intrusion into future landscaping was the objective, so the long straight run was kept at 1 percent slope. The shorter leg coming down to it is at 10 percent, which should provide plenty of flow momentum.

See inlet trench drain for more information.

Trench drain

I used two pieces of 1-meter trench drains (cemented together) cast into concrete, becoming a large inlet for rainwater that comes fast over the wide walkway. Establishing exact relative heights were important at every step during the installation. The step down and width of pour are essentially rise and run of stairs, so those minimum standards were considered. I kept the riser at four inches and gave the run a wide 13 inches.

All top surfaces were troweled with drainage in mind. The trench center was slightly depressed to take water from the ends. This is inlet side of the erosion-control drainage system. Connections embedded in concrete were cemented together. See the outlet side for more information.

At $100, these pieces were the most expensive parts of the system.

One year Strawberry

Strawberry tree, that is. It's reaching upwards. That's as much as I can ask of it. There are only two side branches. Click on image to see how it looked in March.

Arbutus Marina

One year Lemonwood

This one is amazing. They said because it's the variegated version I can't expect it to grow as fast. Looks pretty full compared to early spring!

Pittosporum tarata variegated

One year Tenuifolium

Growing tall and thin. Leaves are small compared to late spring.

Pittosporum Tenuifolium

Fall Photinia

It's been a full year since this one was planted. Every little branch looks healthy. I'm pleasantly surprised because I didn't think the soil was all that good. Nor the side yard location. Two gallons of water each week can do wonders. Click on photo to see how it looked earlier in March.

Slow Escallonia

Now five months in the ground, it's quite apparent that these are slow growing.

Matsuda Compacta Escallonia

Outflow landing

For purpose of controlling rainwater runoff, a curbed outflow landing made the most sense considering I wanted landscaping in this area. There's no municipal storm drain here. This is corrective measure after having removed a poorly designed concrete walkway that reduced useable back yard space.

So the lowest point was found to be at the threshold on the latch side of the gate. It's the existing concrete lip at the block wall, so all I needed to do was design all downflow to it. Casting the concrete was a two-pour process -- first pour was the curb with a PVC sleeve cast into it, then after curing, the in-fill slab poured and finished trowel-smooth for good surface flow.

Bedroom three

Here's the room upon completion. I decided to add cedar lining in the closet. It's not the same solid T&G cedar that I installed in the other room. This version comes in OSB sheets. Cost per square foot is about 69¢ (compare to $1.50/sf for the solid cedar), but there's plenty of leftovers from the 4'x8' sheets. Installation was fast and simple -- I simply used pneumatic staples.

Maple cabinet I made from plywood and solids. Open back to cedar. Adjustable shelves are extra deep (16") to accommodate loose or sloppily folded clothing. Left side hangs long items, right side two rows of short items. Seems appropriate for this room.

At the last minute, I decided to install new bifolds instead of cleaning and reinstalling the old sliding mirrors. I found them at reduced prices at Home Depot. They match the room better and has a nice center access.

The room's painting scheme is also an idea. At about 6'-6" high on the wall I installed a moulding strip (actually a "door stop" profile) to delineate the bright white ceiling from the color below. It's supposed to make the room feel taller. I think it does that.

See earlier post and photo.

Wall niche

A wall niche is not for every taste. I think it's because to display small collectibles is to reveal a certain personality trait. Some people just aren't that way, while others love the idea. And the available styles are also purely aesthetic. There's nothing structural about these things.

This location happens to be the intersection of the hallway and the front entry, so it was almost a given to have something as a visual focal point. The previous owner had a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, which seemed rather vain. I think having the mirror backing in the niche is just about right.

I don't have a lot of little knick knacks to show. I just went online and ordered it because the trim seemed to somewhat match my door mouldings down the hall. Good enough. Easy enough, too.

(continued from below)

Wall niche cutout

Finding the perfect spot for the niche was not as easy as it should be. Although this in-wall unit fits well within the bay between two standard studs, the wall where I wanted it had too many studs! The blue tape indicates their locations. It's a good idea to tape up a paper mockup to view at all angles before cutting. Height matters, too. Factory recommended fastening was construction adhesive, but because I had two tight studs on either side, face nailing was the better solution here. I also removed a mid-wall blocking.

See finished niche.

So glad it's green

Slow hose for fifteen minutes every two weeks. That's what this particular tree likes -- at this particular location in my yard. The soil is so clayey and compacted that any more water would be too much, even during these hot dry weeks. I have not experimented with less water. Maybe I should. It was near drowning in its first winter here.

(Yep, my neighbor painted his hot tub roof light blue)

Pittosporum Tarata
a.k.a. Lemonwood

Andersen friction glider!

I finally got around to staining the new Andersen 6040 "glider." Why stain? The outer sash is blocked by an awkward vinyl rib, which reduced the chances of a neat paint job. Excess stain could be wiped off, and the clearcoat afterwards is simply clear. Such a rib design (visible in previous post photo, at upper right) is another reason why this window is not up to par with Pella. Perhaps this is only on their 200 series. Luckily I had appropriate wood stain that goes well enough with the tan and white colors that I have planned for the window.

Upon removal and closer inspection of the operable sash, the gliding mechanism reveals itself as nothing but a couple of plastic friction blocks! No rollers. It's not truly gliding like Certainteed's glider, which have nice wide rollers.

And this explains why it feels snug and heavy.

Window performance

Here are the published numbers for the windows I've installed so far. Low numbers are better.

	Type	U-factor	Solar
Pella	Fixed	0.27	0.31
	Casement	0.30	0.28
Certainteed	Glider	0.38	0.28
	Awning	0.38	0.25
Andersen	Glider	0.35	0.33

Andersen glider

Andersen is now sold through Home Depot (or was it always sold through Home Depot?). This is their 200 series, which is very competitively priced. Adding the basic features I needed, however, like tan color (for exterior trim), low-E coating and standard jambs, made my actual cost higher. Construction type is vinyl clad wood.

It's a good unit, but I have some complaints.

Fit and finish are slightly off. It doesn't slide as smoothly as it should. It's too snug and feels heavy. I wouldn't call it a "glider" like a Certainteed glider.

Then there's a gap that causes the latch to miss the catch. The sash has to be pressed outward to meet it. Packaging was also disappointing. It comes in a nice cardboard box, but inside the box was no protection against dents, making handling of the box misleadingly durable.

Overall it's a good window. It's very effective in keeping out summer heat so far.

Total cost, after tax, for this 6040: $368.

Rear window trim

Window exterior is now complete. It took many small steps. The final step, for me as the owner, was, of course, cleaning it. But before that, it took many days of waiting for each coat of paint or bead of caulk to dry. I've learned that, perhaps because of the proximity to the salty bay, exterior paint on wood must be minimum three coats around here. And that's on top of at least one full coat of primer all around. Caulk was applied three times over, too. It takes only time and patience.

This is the egress window in Bedroom #3.

Back here I determined that 1x4 redwood was best — redwood for its natural resistance and 1x4 for enough "substance" to visually frame the window, while its shadow line was decent on the flat stucco field. It's also common enough to easily repeat elsewhere later. I backed it with 2x2's that filled the stucco gap nicely. The alternative would be using deck screws as a standoff to level the 1x4 at each edge, but I wanted something to ooze the caulk. Oozing is important. The entire trim assembly was first glued together in the shop, then nailed in place as a unit.



Cutting the stucco was the only nasty part of it. It's important to wear full protection that includes respirator, ear plugs and a full face shield. There's a lot of dust, smoke and sparks (from cutting through the stucco lathe). But with careful measuring and an accurate saw blade setting, it actually went faster than cutting through wood siding.

Outlets

Permanently sealing off the old closet doorway brings up a code requirement because of the gain in wall space. Any wall that's two feet in length or greater (with some exceptions) requires an electrical outlet. It's to provide reach for any 6-ft. corded lamp or appliance.

From an underfloor junction box that has 12-gauge tracing back to the breaker panel, I was able to bring in 20-amp power. This meant four receptacles would be no problem. And having the open-stud opportunity, I also decided to add telephone, cable and ethernet outlets, only it took some strategic planning to get it all routed in.

Note the metal box is attached with screws instead of nails. It's for durability. Holes where the cables come through were caulked to seal against air drafts and insects. Wallboard from the other room will cover all this.

Double access idea

Having two doorways into the same closet reminds me of a design strategy we sometimes use in homes for young families. Both doors would function as a nursery access. One of the rooms would be the parent's and the other a young child's, but while the child is still a baby and nursing, the access would be open and the closet not completely filled. Then as the child gets older, the door from the parent's side would stay closed while the closet is accessed only from the child's side. Often swing doors are used instead of bipass like what I have, but these two rooms can function in that way, too.

For this house I have to permanently close one off one side because the young family is not my target future buyer. (continued from earlier)

Closet rough opening

Three studs were cut and removed. Well, actually two. I scavenged a whole piece for use as the new king stud on the left and inserted a new cripple piece above the header. I don't know why it looks grey. It's just the mid-wall blocking. The other two were cut at the top of header, then reused as trimmer studs (sometimes called "jack studs") to hold the same header, which is a 4x4 that I happen to have lying around. Without roof load, the header beam doesn't need to be any bigger than that. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 5of5

Next will be careful measuring of where to cut along the studs. I want to minimize wall patching again on the other side (inside the closet), so I'll keep the top end of the studs as cripples to sit above a new header beam. The wallboard attached to it on the other side will remain intact -- hopefully. This is similar to the new doorway in the office room. Both conditions have the ceiling joists and rafters running conveniently parallel above, putting no load on these walls, so practically any size header beam would be okay.

(Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 4of5

The nice thing about these recently built homes (this one is circa 1964) is the simplicity of construction. The "unfastened" wallboard simply swings out like a door (it could have also flipped downward or just flopped out). Debris was literally less than a handful, so the extra hour of nail pulling also pays off during cleanup. Eventually the unused pieces must be tossed, but overall it's still good condition sheetrock. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 3of5

A strategic sawcut from floor to ceiling along a stud was helpful. The existing wall on the right will have its wallboard refastened to that stud, while new patch pieces on the left will also fasten to it. The wall corners above and to the left were knife-cut to break the taped seams. Needless to say, it's important to remove every nail before yanking on the wallboard, but a slight tug will reveal if there are any remaining fasteners. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 2of5

Knowing the wallboards are fastened with nails, I just had to spot them using a magnetic stud finder, then grab them with a nail puller. Dents from the nail pulls are nicely localized on the surface and in roughly one-inch round divots, making them easy to fill later with joint compound. (Continued from earlier)

Clean sheetrock removal, 1of5

Swapping closet access from one room to another starts with creating a new doorway, which means removing gypsum wallboard (AKA plasterboard, wallboard, Sheetrock, drywall). The same opening size will be patched in the other room because I'll be taking that closet door to reinstall here. I also want to reuse the wallboard because the finish wall texture is again difficult to replicate. I'll have to remove a large section anyway to get to the studs, so I want to minimize the damage to it.

Two-part scaffolding

Using scrap material (the studs from the closet removal), I attached the lower part of the homemade (what isn't around here?) platform to the wood stairs using screws. The stairs, being a future repair/removal item, is actually the weakest link. There were spots of softness during screw attachment. But having every contact point fastened with at least one long and strong screw, this is as steady as it gets. It's not going anywhere.



And to reach the top of the window (purpose of the scaffold), I measured my comfort zone standing on the platform. I needed a 24-inch rise.

It's important to leave enough separation from the wall because most working movements will have you pressing against the wall with your upper body and pushing outward with your lower. Appropriate diagonal bracing was used, and all contact points were again screwed down.

Egress window

Windows in a bedroom have to meet certain minimum egress requirements. The actual opening has to be a certain minimum area (currently 5.7 sq. ft. in my municipality), width (20 inches), height (24 inches), as well as some other requirements (not relevant here). Sill height must be low enough to the interior floor (44 inches). All these requirements affected my window replacement in Bedroom #3.

The solution was as easy as choosing a 6040 glider to replace the old aluminum 6030. But I had to cut a lower sill. It helps to know the precise new window frame size so that cutting could be done strategically inside and out to minimize work and effort.

Escallonia

Matsuda Compacta Escallonia. Blooms nearly year-round. Excellent foundation shrub. Profuse rose-red flowers. Sun to shade. Average 30" tall. Water regularly as needed. Cold hardiness to 20 degrees F.

Escallonia is an evergreen shrub. I found this compact variety at Home Depot, which, at this time of year, stocks some interesting new selections. They always have good prices. Hopefully these little ones will reach good size in reasonable time. The glossy green leaves are attractive. The flowers will just be a bonus.

The location on this side of the garage had ancient succulents without irrigation. It probably fed off ground water from the lawn. It didn't look good. I had to add a new irrigation circuit to allow greater flexibility. While installing that, I also realigned the edging, reorganized the other pipes and permanent hoses as well as upgraded the timer wiring. The gravel walk had to be leveled. The hose hanger (visible at distant right) is also new. It's anchored in a tiny concrete foundation. Finally, there's a single Hydrangea at the other end that will hopefully make good use of the ground moisture that always build up near a garden hose.

Little black bugs

Lots of little black bugs the size of fleas are infesting the tender growing tips of this Tenuifolium. They don't move. They seem to just hunker down to suck the juices of the new growth. Ants walk all over them like they're ground tiles. Scraping squishes them easily. Pesticide spraying gets them off for a day or two, but they quickly return. Tree seems okay, so I'll just leave it. Tree has grown a few inches since first planted.

Pittosporum Tenuifolium

Corner stud removal

Although it wasn't a load-bearing wall, corner studs are still necessary for wallboard nailing at the edges of this closet wall. But the framers never had future removal in mind. They lapped them into the perpendicular studs with lots of face nails. I had to do some fancy cutting with a reciprocating saw and use a portable planer. This also left narrower than usual bays between studs for electrical boxes on either side of the wall.

See earlier post for more information.

Closet removal

Bedroom #3 had an awkward closet location. Apparently the original designers did not take bed placement into consideration. The narrow dimension, from closet door to the opposite wall, was a mere 8'-9", which would leave only about 22 inches at the foot of a queen-size bed. A floor air register by the window was the other limiting factor.

So the best solution was to remove the closet entirely, squaring off the room, and annexing one of the adjacent room's closets. It helps that the adjacent room will get enlarged in the future to include plenty of new storage space.

Luckily, the rafters, ceiling joists and floor joists are all parallel to the demo walls, making this project one without structural impact — another reason to take out the walls.

Pieces of the removed gypsum wallboard were used for patching. It's the easiest way to keep the wall texture consistent.

Electrical improvements include dimmable downlights, more power outlets, new phone outlet and in-wall speaker wiring, which, by the way, should be kept at least six inches away from the power lines to avoid audio interference.

Project: bedroom #3

Bedroom #3 faces the rear yard and has a bay view.

Acrylic desktop

I've been making furniture. This one is rather interesting. I have a pedestal file that's about 5 1/2 inches lower than the desk. There's also an odd pointed corner at the desk. So I had a "design opportunity." Top piece is 1-inch acrylic slab. Rods are each 1 3/8 in diameter. Bottom is nominal 5/4 solid cherry. Acrylic to acrylic welds are the only permanent connections. The rods slide into holes in the cherry, which sits on the pedestal file sandwiching a non-slip pad. The entire assembly weighs 39 pounds.

Every room deserves a unique piece of furniture or art.

Lemonwood at equinox

In the ground five months now.

See tree description.

Pittosporum tarata variegated

Two ripe strawberries

I wonder if these "strawberries" are edible. Probably not. I wouldn't dare. There are two big red ones. New clusters are forming, too. Nice.

I'm hesitant to claim that these young trees survived the winter because they dropped a lot of leaves. The soil (under thick mulch) is still very moist after three days of dry weather. Drainage is an issue around here. Hopefully, these trees are on the "better" side.

Click on photo to see how it looked when first planted.

Arbutus Marina

Red young leaves

New leaves are indeed red. It's a nice contrast to the green. I'm glad this tree is thriving without severe problems. Knock on wood. The older, greener leaves did show fungus spots. At least, I think they were fungus spots... dark, ugly spots that's been plaguing several other plant leaves in my yard.

Click on photo to see earlier post when it was first planted.

Photinia fraseri

Shelf within a shelf

Just a paper shelf, really. Made from scraps. Can you tell it wasn't digitally planned with precision? The bottom shelf is 1/4 inch shorter than the rest. My mistake. I had the wood for it, too. Some dark endgrain (visible at the lower corners) is the dead giveaway. And the top shelf is too short. Oh well. It works. This is part of the wall shelves in my office.