Project studio - DIY replacing Pier and Beam Foundation

After the studio made it's journey to our homestead, we let out a sigh of relief "yes, we made it!". With every single project so far we have encountered delays. This was no different. The studio sat sad and neglected for several days on a trailer. During this time my brain came up with images of someone hooking up the trailer and taking off with my hard work. This didn't happen:) Instead my number one fan, aka momma, came for a visit. We took the trip out to the homestead, just to see it on the trailer, and surprise surprise the studio stood proudly on some bricks.

Maybe some of the studio magic came from the posts, because without them on those cheap bricks it looks kind of bleak. Especially because our magic wall of windows still had boards across it. 

Oh the horror of damage control / repair. All the random boards that were used as "support" had to be removed, which left deep screw holes. Our floors are insulated and the insulation barrier, just a sheet of construction plastic, was damaged; the exposed insulation was damage as well. 

I'm not the type to speak negatively about someone else....... I will just say that this was not the work of me or my Mr. 

We did have to remove the trim pieces to put in the new post, but before we could do that we had to dig holes for every post (6 in total). 

This project was mind blowing for me. We used a heavy duty jack and literally lifted the studio to put the post underneath. Crazy, right? We had to rig things a bit because the jack couldn't lift it up high enough so we added post remnant and bricks, haha a little getto but it worked so I guess that's all that mattered.

The jack was supporting the weight of an entire side of the studio so we also had to place boards under the jack to keep it from sinking. 

We restablized the studio using the bricks again. That way the posts wouldn't be under any pressure and filled the holes holding the posts with concrete. Then, we danced the dance of people that just completed something we had never even attempted before. After our dance festival we went home and left the concrete to cure for 24 hours. 

Look at all that mess. That's a sure fire sign that something's getting done:) we still have a million things to do but one by one we are taking these tasks down. 

A quick note on recylcing aluminum, for those die hard Mountain Dew fans

• The amount of energy saved differs by material, but almost all recycling processes achieve significant energy savings compared to virgin material production. For example, recycling of aluminum cans saves 95 percent of the energy required to make the same amount of aluminum from virgin sources. For each can recycled, this is enough energy to run a television or computer for three hours.
• Sourced from EPA.gov 

Till next time y'all keep it clean, green, and classy.

-Shalimar

Bringing the Farm to the Homestead

With the fencing complete we were able to bring our lovely four legged friends for a day of adventure and work, but mostly adventure:)  We also started our latest project calling it the sud shack, as all the suds would be gathered in this "shack". The shack however is turning out to be a complete building not anything anyone would refer to as a shack, at least I hope not. Here's Bella being her regular curious self. 

While Bella roamed about adjusting to the new environment our little man, Sir Beckendorff, went chasing after every bug or butterfly he could see; leaving our big man, Sir Sainic, all alone but he's old so we just put him in the studio with the air conditioning. Traveling with ducks and chickens can be a bit too much so they haven't had a homestead adventure day, yet. 

Here's the beginning of project sud shack. We built a frame so we could use it to find the exact spot. Clearly, this was done before I pulled out the mower. After the photo was snapped I mowed the area for the placement of the sud shack. We put the frame back in place, then marked each corner and two supports in the center. Next up was grabbing the post hole digger and getting to work. What helped us was to dig each hole a few inches deep, then fill the hole with water and move to the next project. After the water has fully soaked in, you are ready to dig some more. 

Alright, well that's all I've got for now so hope you enjoyed and have a great day. 

DIY Fence Banner

This banner was a collaboration of some scrape crafting materials and a left over table cloth. 

Supplies-

Tablecloth

Fishing line

Party ribbon

Scissors

Sewing machine with thread

... The photo shows blue nylon rope but I used red party ribbon (rope was a fail) 

DIY banner tutorial

Sew the fishing line to the party ribbon. Measuring out 15-18 inches and add a tablecloth pendant. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat, I think you get it:) if you are working with a smaller fence or just want a fuller look, keep the space in between pendants smaller. 

To install the banner I used eye hooks and a screw driver. It's helpful to used a drill and screw to get a hole started. If you are working with a treated 4x4 post, like me, the you will need the screwdriver to use as a handle for added torque. These post were already solid but after baking in the sun for a few weeks they are like rocks. 

Once the eye hooks are in place just tie the banner in place....my tip for this is to tie the banner taut but don't stress about getting it perfect. Wait for a day minimum but preferably a few days then tighten it up to the level you want. The fishing line will stretch after being warmed by the sun. There you have it, there it is. 

With the banner up and the gate complete, the fence looks slightly unfinished in comparison. We plan to trim the post later... Hopefully sooner rather than later but our projects to complete list is a mile long.  Well, till next time I leave you with this earth friendly tip.

If all the households in the U.S. switched from hot-hot cycle to warm-cold, we could save the energy comparable to 100,000 barrels of oil a day.... That's just the U.S. Only. Now, imagine using just cold!  Also, only use the full load, with a full load, of course. Hang dry. Line drying your clothing helps the color last, plus the fresh scent of laundry is so refreshing. 

Keep it clean, green, and classy.

-Shalimar

Project Studio -Journey to our Homestead

Knowing that at a future date we would be packing the studio up to move it we built the structure on posts, hoisting the studio four feet off the ground.  This turned out to be extremely helpful in the process of putting a trailer under it. 

For this particular process we were not DIYers but assistants to our DIY pal who had  a trailer and moving experience. What he lacked in promptness he made up for in heart. He took extra care to structure the wall of windows, even mentioning while he was working that he understood the hard work that we had put into "our baby" and he would take good care of her. 

Notice the support over the windows, then he covered them in a moving tarp as well. I can happily report the process went surprising smooth. No damage to the windows at all:) 

A few last minute looks and pictures and we were all set. 

With Willie Nelson's On the Road Again pumping out the speakers we take to the road not again, but for the first (and maybe last) time. 

Even crossing bridges along the way:) 

Just making it out to our homestead with the studio felt like such an accomplishment....but it was still on the trailer. We still had ahead of us the process of getting the studio not just off the trailer but re-posted in the ground. That story will have to wait for another time as my baby Bella has been nibbling on my skirt all morning and needs some serious TLC. 

Here's a quick before and after.... We saved that glorious branch. The studio was built on property we were renting, the land owners did approve of the branch removal (if necessary). I would have been heart broken if we had had to cut it down so we worked around it:) to our pal Jonathan if you are reading this - thank you thank you thank you for moving our baby with no collateral damage to nature. 

Till next time y'all keep it clean, green, and classy.

-Shalimar

Project Studio - Interior Finishing

I haven't written a Project Studio post in awhile so I thought I would share more of that today. If you have been paying attention to the background in the previous Project Homestead post I have given sneak peaks of the studio; it's that cute blue-gray building with the black and yellow door. 

Here's were I left you last...

Once, we had everything insulated we put up Sheetrock on the walls and ceiling. This is relatively simple but there are some tricks. If you have to cut an edge, you need an extremely sharp razor. This isn't the time to be cheap or lazy (as in our case), replace your blades frequently. Also, put cut edges together. Same with the smooth edges, put them together. You want everything as smooth as possible so you can tape and float with less obstacles. 

Our laziness on the razor blades made for less than perfect seams, so my tape and float was a little rough:( ...I should also add that I hadn't done any tape and float in some years so I was a bit rusty.  

Next up was texturing the walls. I wanted to achieve a light effect with the texture so I choose a relatively smooth roller. I was working with pre-mixed mud so I just added a little water to help thin the look and feel. 

The mud will change color once it's dry and then you are ready for paint. I went with a white for the walls. It's not quite a bone white but not an off white either, the color helps keep the studio airy. To draw the eye out I painted the inside of the windows a slight gray. I think it gives the windows more depth. I painted the ceiling a sky blue because the studio has high ceilings so that needed to be embellished (plus, white ceilings are so expected, I like the unique ). 

If you look out the window, you will notice a four legged creature, that's Bella digging in our old fire pit. 

Curious baby Bella.

Had to add a shot of Mr. Bill because he follows me everything plus his feathers are brilliant.

Ok, back to the awesome view from the studio. This is the view from our loft. 

Here's the loft. We built it as a place for a quiet nap or just a cozy place for me to read when I'm not running around trying to take over the world. Even though it's a small space I wanted to give the loft a "formal bed" which means it has to have a headboard. This was a DIY. Using some poster I cut out a stencil and hand painted the headboard right on the wall. It really helps set a comfy sleep loft vibe.

I utilized the space under the loft for my office. A desk, chair, and a few shelves fit nicely. The loft is set at a height of 7'2" so there is plenty of head room for my taller friends. 

The view from outside is pretty great too. That giant branch really gives the studio a treehouse atmosphere. 

Here is one of the pictures I posted early that gave a sneak peak of the studio....on the homestead:)

Now, we started (and completed) the construction on property in the city. We were in the process of looking to buy our homestead site, which ended up taking longer than we had both anticipated. Patience is not a virtue of mine so we got started building the studio. Once, we had purchased our homestead we enlisted a friends services and moved our pride and joy 54 long miles. Here is a sneak peak of that. 

Till next time, I leave you with fact seven from 11 Facts About Recycling @ https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-recycling

6. 7. Americans throw away 25,000,000 plastic bottles every hour.
7. This is completely avoidable. Use a reusable water bottle for water. The bottled water is from the tap anyway so really you are creating waste and wasting money. When the craving for soda hits you, use a refillable mug (not the styrofoam cups) and get a fountain soda. This saves so much in fuel, packaging, etc that you also save money by going with the fountain. Alright y'all keep it clean, green, and classy. 
8. -Shalimar