Cabin Fluffing...

Cabin Fluffing....

Last week I spent some time at the cabin getting it fluffed up. Still unsure if the final plan is rent or sell or live in, but no matter what, there are always things to be done in a house.  

First up was glue the closet door back together upstairs. Now, not one door in this house matches another. This closet is under the eaves so the door has been cut down to fit the opening. Over the years it had been sticking, the parts came loose and then it really stuck which meant basically you had to hold the door together as you opened it. 

The upper right side of the door always hung behind while the rest opened up.

This should have been an easy-peasy fix. Pop the pin out of the hinges and pull the door off to glue it.
But no.  Look:

Yep. Some genius chiseled out a spot in the wood for the hinges, making it impossible to remove the door without completely removing the hinges.

So, off with the hinges. And the door.  Liquid Nails to the rescue and Voila! door repaired. 

Next up was the side mud room door.  

Pretty rough shape...

The wood had not been painted on that door for easily 15 years, possibly longer. Talk about weather beaten. I started to sand it but realized there would be no door left if I got rid of all the grain. Instead I patched, sanded a bit, and primed it.

Primed and ready for paint. 

Yes, I was lazy and didn't even bother to remove the door from the hinges. 

Two coats of paint later, look!!  Gives the whole side of the cabin a finished look. Bunny says it looks very outdoorsy and reminds her of REI. I guess that's good.

Slowly getting away from the completely neglected look.

Notice my deer planter is wearing his mask.

They are mandatory in Colorado.

Since the mud room door was spiffed up I decided to move on to the shelving unit in there. This shelf came with the cabin and was painted/stained a dark brown with lots of paint marks and scratches. Ugly but very serviceable. 

An oldie but goody of Bunny and the mud room shelf.

I used this opportunity to get rid of all the half used/almost empty cans of Chalk paint by mixing everything together. The end result was a very pretty green/teal and Whoa! what an improvement. 

So much brighter and happier looking.

On a roll, I hung a sign that had been at my parent's house(s) for a million years. I believe the San Antonio neighbors gave it to them back in the 1960s.  Made in memory of a San Miguel trip, I'm sure. When Mom's house was sold, I couldn't bear to leave it behind. Instead of hanging over the garage door, it now graces a spot over my basement door.

I'll have to get the accurate history behind this sign.

For a good 40 years I thought the words were burned into the driftwood. 

Maybe five years ago I realized they were just written on with a black Sharpie.

And, to highlight the week of fluffing, I got a call from the septic company. SO EXCITING! After being on the waitlist for almost a YEAR, they are finally coming out. When we bought the cabin it had been empty for a few years, the owner was in hospice, the wife didn't even know where the septic clean out was, so we (foolishly) said...no worries, it all works now. Eleven years later I have tried on my own with the metal detector to find the clean out with zero success. Nightmare septic system stories got me motivated to have it found. Best to be proactive with these kinds of things. 

Sooooo....sometime tomorrow Mountain High Septic will come do their magic. I hope. Crossing my fingers. Hate dealing with the unknown. Everyone say their prayers for me. A good septic system is awesome. a failing one is an expensive mess. 

Here's to a fluffed cabin and an empty septic tank. Everyone have a great week and wear your masks. 

When One Door Closes....

When one door closes, another one opens. 

Isn't that a great title for New Year's Eve?    2017 is on its way out (thank goodness) and 2018 is on its way in.

Also...I'm taking it a bit literally today.

A couple of nights ago I saw an old door advertised on Salida Swap which is basically a local Craig's List. It had a window, peeling paint and measurements that sounded close to my shed door opening. Carlos and I braved the cold and wind and dark to go out and measure and yep! Close enough.

Now normally I wouldn't say "close enough" is a positive thing for doors and door openings but in this case, it was ok. There was a door on the shed already- or remains of a door- and it didn't fit the opening. There really weren't door jambs or a threshold soooo.....close enough was about as good as I could get. Besides, the shed leans. Nothing is level. I wasn't looking for perfection, just a way to keep the bears from shacking up inside.

The old door in all its glory. 

It was an INTERIOR hollow door. 

WHY would someone put this on an outdoor shed? 

The hinges were NAILED on. 

I didn't even know what I was doing and did a better job than this.

Twenty bucks later I had a door.

This morning was unseasonably warm so I headed out to hang that new/old door.  Getting the old door off wasn't too big of a problem since there was only one hinge left holding it on. I broke that one hinge  and ended up taking the hammer and pliers to the remains to get them off.

What was the thinking behind this hinge application???

Looks like this door may have actually hung inside somewhere and is now upside down. 

Or maybe there is just a little door sign holder nailed on the bottom for fun. 

Then I discovered I was incapable of simultaneously holding the door in place and measuring/applying the hinges.

But!  I have a great neighbor behind me and I gave her a call. Beverly came over with gloves and a latch and lots of enthusiasm. She also brought a bit of knowledge with her... thank goodness. I was clueless.

Beverly hiding a bit from the camera. 

Could NOT have gotten the door hung without two extra hands. 

We started with the middle hinge. Realized it was scraping at the bottom because of the slant of the shed. Moved the middle hinge up. And guess what? From there it was smooth sailing.   (Except I kept dropping the screws so there were a few runs into the house, down into the basement, a grab for more screws, and then back out to the front. Details.)

Beverly's latch wouldn't work but I'm sure a nice hook and eye will keep things closed. For now the door is being held closed by the same thing that has kept it closed for the last eight years: a dented bucket full of concrete.

And best of all? From the house, the shed looks so much friendlier with that once-painted white door with the window.

The newly hung door.

Ignore the gap at the bottom. 

And the top.

Also ignore the concrete bucket closure.

THAT will be fixed. 

So...out with the old and peeling and falling apart and no longer useful door and in with the sturdier, friendlier, and more transparent door.

And out with the old year full of way too many changes and challenges and in with a year that hopefully will be joyful and stable.
(A recap of some of the highs and lows of last year here, and here, and here and here and especially here. If you need the reason I write this blog, click here.)

I'm willing to allow myself plenty of "close enoughs' this year as long as things work and make me happy.

And hopefully 2018 will bring joy and security to us all.
Not just my shed.

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Happy New Year!