Adrian: Amateur Handyman, Part 2

To understand this a little better check out this blog first:

Adrian: Amateur Handyman
http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2013/04/adrian-amateur-handyman.html

I have continued to improve the front steps of my girlfriend Lili's (not her real name) front steps.  She wanted a hand rail on the left side of the steps, so I put built one for her.  This was not too bad of a job.  The strenuous part of the job was digging a two foot hole with the post hole digger.  Once I got the 4X4 post in the ground, the hard part of the job was over. 

Next, I added a 2X4 post to complete the rail.  That was all I needed to do.  It was holding great, and it blended right in.  Here's the pictures of it.

Next I completed laying down the patio stones that I started a month ago.  I added another 60 stones, and once completed, it looked great. 

Next up, I did something that just needed done.  I painted the mailbox, and put numbers on it.  I really wish I had a "before" picture of it because it looked awful.  It really did.  But with a little paint on it, it looks great.  Here's the "after" picture.

I'm sure the mail lady will thank me. 

More work will be coming.  I still have to paint the front and back steps.  So more work, and thus more blogs to come!

A Little Piece of Heaven. A House, A Home, A Log Cabin

I have always wanted to build my own home.  In fact, I have written about it before.

Check this out:  http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2011/02/adrian-watches-waltons-wants-to-build.html

Anyway, I was watching hunting programs on the Sportsman's Channel, and a commercial came on that interested me.  It was a company that sold you the wood and parts to make your own log cabin/ log home.

http://www.coventryloghomes.com

I looked at their website, and they have what looks to be 80 different models of log cabins/ log homes.  I really liked their Clearwater Model.

http://www.coventryloghomes.com/ourDesigns/tradesmanSeries/Clearwater/model.html

What's neat is that you can buy either, 1. Just the wood.  2. The Shell Package.  3. Or the Complete Package.  That way, you can get just the wood or pre-prepared parts for the house.  The pieces of wood come numbered so you know what goes where.  It's like of like Lincoln Logs.

In fact, they have some great construction videos of how the cabins/homes go together.  It's not as hard as I thought it would be.

http://www.coventryloghomes.com/aboutUs/videosConstruction.html

I think it's neat how woodworkers can build furniture, guitars, and other things.  But to be a woodworker on a huge scale, to be building houses, would be awesome.  Especially on your own house.  You would get to choose not only the building plans and outside, but the inside of the house.  Flooring, cabinets, decoration, walls, tile, would all be at your control. 

One of the good things about log homes is that, they are well insulated.  Since the wood is so thick, they don't lose a lot of heat or cold.  That would make then great to have in Florida, so long as you had central heat and air.  They also have that nice, natural look on the inside.  And if you want to drill anything to the wall it's okay!  It's wood. 

The bad news about log homes is that they are expensive.  Not only that, but all that wood has to shipped from somewhere.  And shipping a house's worth of wood is not cheap.  You have to calculate all the wood, roofing supplies, inside parts like cabinets/tile/carpet, windows, and someone to wire the house up for electricity, cable, and wi-fi.  Not to mention the most important throne of all.  A sewage line needs to be created and hooked up to either city water or a septic tank.  I almost forgot the 2nd most expensive part of the house.  That would be the land.  Depending upon where you want to build the house, the land can be somewhat expensive or crazy expensive. 

So while it may be expensive to build a house, a man can always dream.  I have to admit, a lot of dreams go unfulfilled, and even I think that this one is out of reach for me.  But I can't complain.  As long as I have a roof over my head, I can't worry about whether or not I will be able to build myself a log house.