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.

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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