Everybody knows that firemen like to cook. Many fire districts require firemen to be on for 48 hours straight and the rest require 24 hours. No running out to Olive Garden for lunch either… they have to be ready to roll at all times.

That means at least three meals a day prepared in every fire station in the country. The question is, are those meals prepared in style?

For the lucky firehouse that wins the “Rescue Remodel” contest currently being run by The Family Handyman magazine and sponsored by Ikea, the answer will be a resounding yes.

Ikea is providing a $25,000.00 kitchen remodel complete with cabinets, appliances, and cookware.

Nominate your local firehouse at the website: RescueRemodel.com

I’ve always wanted to help as many people as possible with remodeling questions. But I’ve never found a system that works, until now! I tried a forum… too much work fighting spammers. I tried questions by email… too many emails and of no use to anyone else online. Let’s try this…

RemodelingGuy.net/Answers

There is a form on the site where you can submit a short question and even upload a picture if that would help.

Submit your question, and I’ll do my best to answer it as soon as I can.

As you can see by reading the list of subjects here on the blog, I’ll take a stab at just about anything home remodeling related.

Check it out here: RemodelingGuy.net/Answers

Have you seen the new layout of Google Image Search?

This is where I find most of my pictures and what was a very time consuming process just got much faster. Take a look at the new look of search results for the first remodeling words that come to my mind: yellow walls. (I’m sitting in a freshly repainted yellow room… love it!)

Bam!  25 pictures in two seconds.  Two shakes later, I’ve clicked further on one that caught my eye… behold:

Wow.

I’m moved almost to tears.

The table, the ceiling, and those soft yellow walls.  Be still my beating heart.

(from www.countryliving.com)

But I digress…

Google Image Search, that’s what we were talking about. Take a look at the old search results:

Big difference!  And the difference gets even bigger as you scroll down the page.  The new results go on and on and on… hundreds of images that enlarge as you roll your mouse over them.  Seriously, it’s heaven for remodeling ideas.  I kid you not.

Try it out!

I’ve designed dozens of second floor additions. One of the hardest parts is finding a place for the staircase.

I always thought I was pretty innovative. Until now…

How is this for creative use of space?

At least I would have thought to use an undermount sink so the dirt could just be swept right in…

How cool can one picture be? This one from House Beautiful is rockin’ in more ways than one, I’ll tell ya. I don’t even know where to start!

1.

I’ll start with the thing that made me say, out loud, “Wow, that’s cool.” — Colorfully Painted Cabinet Interiors! Maybe I just fell of the turnip truck, but I’ve never seen anything exactly like this before and I love the idea. Hoorah.

2.

Next Up, those awesome blue painted floors! Simple as pie to do… it’s just paint… but looking totally amazing, if you ask me. I’m a fan of the high-gloss paint too (probably oil-based for hardness) since it will really be easy to clean and keep looking new.

3.

Don’t miss what’s happening down the way a bit in the breakfast area. If it didn’t mean I’d have to give-up a total favorite thing (a ginormous kitchen table I made from scratch), I’d be building some great banquette seating in our house. (or at least add it to the list of future projects). This banquette with a green cushion to match the kitchen accent color rocks!

What else?

• White marble tops that look cool but probably aren’t too expensive.
• 1×8 lumber run horizontally for wall paneling looks great, easy to do.
• Love the fluted glass in the cabinet door.
• Great hinges on the cabinets!
• Perfect light fixtures in the dining area!

Not For Me…

• The v-joint cabinet doors and drawer fronts. I like a framed door.
• Glass door on the fridge… nope. No way.

Did I miss anything?

—————————–

By the way, welcome back… where have you been?

If I had two choose only two subjects to write about on Remodeling Guy, one would be quick and easy DIY woodworking projects such as interior trim and fun exterior projects, and the other one would be outdoor showers of every type imaginable.

One outdoor garden shower design idea that merits some attention is the mostly enclosed stye. These are less “outdoors” than my personal preference, but they work much better in cooler climates and they’re a little more appealing to one’s sense of modesty.

I’ve got a few more pictures of garden showers which, like the one above, have at least a semblance of four walls, if not a roof.

These first few are really just a semi-enclosed extension of the house itself:

Something like this one that can be rented at Garden by The Sea in the USVI, is very tropical feeling, yet totally private. The open roof allows outside air and plenty of natural sunlight in. Rain too, I imagine.

What do they call it when a picture invokes a rise in heart rate and a widening of the eyes, while drawing you closer to the screen for an even better look? In terms of partially enclosed outdoor shower design, this next picture represents perfection in my book:

Of course it would be, because it’s a private villa on the Big Island of Hawaii that you can rent from Four Seasons.

For something a little less tropically inclined, I can get into the treehouse-ish design of this shower I found at This Old House:

I’ve also noticed a number of outdoor shower designs that include both a tub and a shower, often they’ll use a large tub and just make it an option to stand-up and take a shower. The idea of a big bathtub outside sounds pretty nice!

I love the use of slate slabs and tiles in this, very nice, outdoor area. Judging by the side of the woman beneath the rose petals compared to the size of the overall tub, I’d say this one almost qualifies as “swimming pool”!

I think the weather has warmed-up enough here that I need to get out there and make my own outdoor shower area nice and fresh. It’s been unused for a few months in a very cold winter!

More Outdoor Showers:

Outdoor Showers

Get Crazy With an Outdoor Shower

Have a great week!

Hello! Did you miss me? (I know, probably not so much, you have a life…)

I’ve been a busy guy for the last few days! I’ll get to what I’ve been doing in one second.

First, I wanted to let you know that another Q&A Day is coming up, I’ve been answering questions and I’ll probably post them all tomorrow night. If you have a question, send it on to questions@remodelingguy.net and if you’ve sent one in, the answer will be coming soon!

—————————-

Personal stuff:

Over the last year or so, I’ve developed quite a fascination with blogs, bloggers, and blogging and I’ve always hoped to be able to spend more and more of my time involved in online media.

I’ve got two new excursions into the online world that I’d like to share with you:

Tim Layton Designs – I’m offering services related to blogs and social media on a professional level. If you or anyone you know needs help with any of these areas, please let me know:

• Website or Blog Design
• Email Marketing
• eBooks
• Content (writing, SEO)
• Technical help with WordPress, Thesis, AdSense, etc.

I’m also going to be blogging there on the business side of Blogs and Social Media. Check it out: www.TimLaytonDesigns.com

—————————-

iWillLead.net – This is a Christian faith-based blog. I wrote here privately for many months and that content is still there, but the future of the blog will center more around the ideas of using the message spreading power of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. for the purposes of sharing our faith and encouraging others.

I’m nervous and excited about this at the same time. I invite you to come over and check it out. I’ve got a welcome video on the site that explains a little further. The wind noise at the beginning calms down! Check it out: www.iWillLead.net

——————————–

See you later for a bunch of remodeling questions for Q&A Day!

I hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

Tim

If you want the following:

• A free photo printer (brand new, Canon…the real deal)
• A cool Photoshop Plugin (for Elements too)
• $100 worth of amazing, great quality paper from Red River Paper

And you can accept this:

• Only one person will win, but the odds are way better than the Lottery.

Then you should head here:

Red River Giveaway at EverythingEtsy.com

I went looking for the roots of the term “Jury Rig”, partly expecting to find out that it’s actually “Jerry Rig”. Turns out that they’re two different things and, according to the Wikipedia page on the subject, an alternative term is “to MacGyver” something.

So that’s what I did today. I MacGyvered a storage shed. Now that I know that I’m calling it that, I’ll have to go back in tomorrow and rig-up some booby-traps (another term I might ought to look-up) .

Goodbye Raised Planter, Hello Storage Shed

So last year we built some of these raised planter beds. We got a few veggies, but we ran into some issues with local wildlife. We’re not sure if it was Mr. Raccoon, Mr. Squirrel, or the flocks of green parrots, but somebody kept eating our stuff.

More recently, the three raised planters had fallen to being used as a holding area for a ton of wood I recently hauled over here, thereby ending a LTR with a local storage facility and the accompanying monthly rent. The other stuff from storage is in the house, waiting on me to build some built-ins and cabinetry to hold it.

So I have this stuff, and I have this wood, and I need to get this stuff out of the way so I can work in the house. And I also have an awesome new nail-gun from Paslode I want to take for a spin. What to do?

Let’s Throw Together A Shed

That’s really what I did. I “threw” this together. No plans and hardly any use of a tape measure. This is so not the way to do it I can’t even put it into words. But, it worked, and even though I started at noon and made two trips to Home Depot, I had a roof, a floor, and two walls done by dark.

Here’s what I did (and you totally shouldn’t do this because it’s w-r-o-n-g):

• I had a bunch of rough-sawn 1×4 Cypress – good for outside so I wanted to use them for the structure. Yes, I built a shed out of 1×4′s, call the shed police.
• I stuck the 1×4′s up against the side of the planter which is pretty solid seeing as how it’s full of dirt. Turns out the level is at the other house. Teenage boy says, “use the iPod”… wha? It worked. iHandy Level for iPod ROCKS.
• Stuck-em up there, plumbed em with the iPod, and shot em on with a totally incredible nail-gun made for interior trim.

• The Paslode Cordless nail-gun I was using is something we’ll talk much more about when I get to work inside, but I’m telling you I think it’s the best thing since sliced-bread. No air hose, no compressor, just freedom man.
• The nails weren’t what you call framing nails (they were 16ga trim nails) and they probably aren’t made for outside, but they made quick work of shooting on these 1×4′s and I was able to move fast. I went back later and added some Deckmate Screws. It’s much easier to screw when you don’t have to hold-up your wood.
• I didn’t cut them to length, didn’t measure, just nailed one board on each corner, plumbing them with the iPod Touch, and letting them “run wild” into the sky. (technical term -ask anyone)

• I had enough metal roofing laying around to go 8′ but my foundation, f.k.a. – Raised Planter Bed, was only about 4′ wide. So I put a one foot overhang on the side we’ll see from the Tiki Bar, and a huge 3′ cantilever on the other side. (everybody has metal roofing laying around, right?)
• If I had it to do over again, I’d measure when building my roof framing. As it is, I just cut some boards with a 15 degree angle on one-end and stuck-em up there, letting the other end run wild and lapping the board from the other side.
• I “nailed-the-heck” out of it (slightly cleaned-up construction terminology) and then cut-off the excess with a reciprocating saw. I’d show you the pictures of that action, but I don’t need all the “hair club for men” referrals that would come.
• I’m going to have to just go Kojak, but that’s another story.
• Oh, the tape measure. A little more time would have resulted in the peak of my roof in the actual center. As it stands it’s a few inches off! (down here, you’re allowed one-inch off for every visible palm tree, so I’m fine)
• After the roof was framed-up, and relatively level along the eaves thanks to the iTouch, I cut-off the excess from the “wall framing” – the four 1×4′s holding it all in the sky.

• Plywood scraps and little 1×3 fir make-up the ridge beam. No walking on this roof, at all, ever, seriously. It’s for keeping rain out only! The metal roofing on each side is only 3’4″ long overall, so it doesn’t take much strength.
• I added a few more screws as I went along to strengthen the joints and plan ahead for the thin nails rusting away. We’re only about 100 yards from open salt-water.
• The metal roofing I used is actually really good stuff left over from the $20,000 roof I put on my other house. The roof that was supposed to make it sell in like two days. Like two years ago. Anyway, moving on… it’s good roofing and very strong/rigid which allows me to get away with very little roof framing.

• Endless bullet-list that should have been paragraphs continues…
• Arrrrggghhh… I didn’t have any plywood laying around, so I begrudgingly bought some, but I went with the cheapest stuff they had. OSB – Oriented Strand Board. About $9.00 a sheet and I needed 5, so that’s my big expense.
• A sheet made-up the floor (I added framing underneath to make it solid-ish).
• A sheet for the end wall, perfectly square to straighten-up the slightly bending 1x4s.

Before dark I had the back on and had all my tools inside to be under-cover overnight. I’ll finish it (except for the door, which I need to fetch from 120 miles up the road) tomorrow and I’ll show you what comes out of it.

I bet you’ll be highly impressed! Just don’t build one like this at your house. It’s totally wrong and I could list a million things that might go wrong later. But for now, I have the beginnings of a cool Island Shed!

What’s the thickest dust you’ve ever seen? I guess I should narrow down the circumstances by specifying that I’m talking about dust in the house, on your stuff. No matter how great your answer, I bet I’ve seen thicker! I’ve seen some dust.

Maybe dust isn’t even the right word. What is the right word for a full blanket of ground-up building product over every surface? Covering? Forcefield?

I have a number of stories come to mind. Most of them involve cutting concrete because that’s the worst of all. (unless you count paint, but that’s a different deal ALTOGETHER) No, for the most part we’re talking about those times when the room addition is built and the time comes to cut a hole in the side of the house.

We perfected it over the years, but it was bad once or twice due to less-than-well-sealed plastic walls. I had a construction lawyer client once suggest that the level of seal we were looking for was known as “hermetically sealed“. I wasn’t certain of the word at the time, but I got his point.

The worst story though, hit much closer to home. In the doorway to my master bedroom to be exact. A man working for me felt that the best tool to reduce the height of the drywall surface to join the door jamb properly (1/2″ away) was a nice electric belt sander.

We didn’t have anything covered-up at all in the whole house and he ran that sander for plenty of time before the cloud reached my wife. Oh, Lord. I’m afraid for my life just recalling the situation years later. That’s how traumatic it was.

What a scene. He was oblivious, she was hysterical, and I was just like a deer in the headlights. We cleaned for days months! That stuff never got totally gone until the next time we remodeled. It’s a good thing I had the leather sofa instead of the upholstered one.

So What Is The Secret

You’re asking me? Okay, I’ll tell ya. That construction lawyer client, he’s a pretty smart fellow. His word might have been over the head of most of the crew I had working, but his point was exactly what is needed.

When you remodel inside the house, the trick is to really build an air-tight enclosure that is sealed at every possible point of escape! Just imagine that the dust particles can think and that all they want to do is escape. You’re the warden. Lock those suckers down.

The Tools We Use

• 2×4′s at the floor, the ceiling, and at least every three to four feet along an open wall.
• Thick contractor grade plastic sheeting stapled every 12″ or less; cut to fit well and pulled tight!
• Good quality painters tape along the entire perimeter, even on carpet or tile.
• For a really great seal, do this on both sides!
• If you must make a door, you can install a zipper system available at your local store. But the best bet is to go in-and-out through an exterior door or even a window.
• For professionally done projects, the above helps with privacy too.

My former clients are probably looking at each other thinking…”did he do that?”

Zip-Wall

Here’s another one that brings my wife to mind. For a long time she has said to me, “why don’t you try that Zip-Wall stuff?” I never did, and the other day Zip-Wall followed me on Twitter. She got a kick out of that.