The cabinet project is finished. Other than I may want to put some handles on them. It is a guessing game which side to grab when opening them because I am not used to them. Still, I like handles on cabinet doors. I am quite pleased with how they came out. All of the pipes [...]

With the installation of the window frames I can now pronounce the train room finished and ready for layout construction to begin. Although, for the moment it is still acting as temporary storage for items that belong in the workshop. The cabinets need to be completed so they can be filled with all the stuff [...]

The wall cabinet idea is working out just fine. The drain pipe is inside of the cabinets and doesn’t eat up too much space. I couldn’t use a standard tee bar to mount the cabinets like would be used in a kitchen installation because of the pipe. It was necessary to position each cabinet individually [...]

The baseboard installation is all done. It came out quite nice I think. Sure did eat up a lot of stain and satin clear! With baseboards complete I have moved on to the window frames. They were originally going to be plain drywall but late in the game I changed my mind. That’s the beauty [...]

Every once in a while you get lucky. Such was the case today. The master plan for the workshop calls for cabinets along the wall above the workbench however this addition has always been one of those when I get around to it things. Building cabinets is such a pain for me because I am [...]

If you stopped by hoping to see a site about model railroading then you will have to do the same thing as I – be patient. Never would I have imagined on Christmas morning 2009 that it would take almost a year and a half to make the basement ready for trains. Had you asked [...]

As it seems to be with all my projects progress is slow but I am making forward progress. A few more shots of the workbench construction. Once I get the trim boards clear coated and installed the workbench will be finished. Oh, there is one more little back panel piece to make, paint, and install [...]

I have the train room all ready to go but before I dive into building a railroad empire there are a few projects that need to be completed first. There is a high likelihood that once I start building the railroad it may be difficult to stop and do the other things. So the workshop [...]

Blue paint is on the walls and first impression tells me the color choice is right. The blue shade is the right hue and lightness when compared to the horizon of real sky visible through the windows. It is winter so the sky isn’t as blue as it will be in summer but that is [...]

2 coats of drywall primer on, blue paint next. The anticipation is killing me!

This post is a bit overdue but to keep the chronology correct here goes anyway. The train room is ready for paint finally! All of the drywall and joint compound work is complete and the cleanup finished. My lovely and painting talented wife has begun to work her magic with the brushes and rollers. An [...]

Moving right along on the train room. Got all the dry wall taped and mud layer one done this weekend. The application may scream home owner!!! to the professional but you can’t take fault with the final results based on the rooms before this one. I’ll knock the tops off the rough spots and put [...]

The basement reached another milestone. The last piece of drywall has now been put in place. Hurrah! The built-in shelving area has been painted to match the walls of the workshop. Looks nice. The bathroom is painted in Behr Polar Bear White matching the center room. Once again my wife did the painting and it [...]

Progress has been slow on the basement finishing over the summer but now that colder weather has arrived things are picking up. This evening I pronounced the bathroom and center room shelving area ready for paint. Earlier today we picked up the last few sheets of drywall needed to finish the train room. As predicted [...]

Paintwork is all finished in the center basement room. It looks real nice. My wife did her usual bang up job of paint application. The picture doesn’t do her work justice. Next, the wash tub will be installed and plumbed. I am considering adding some sort of waterproof wall sheathing behind the tub. Obviously that [...]

My wife and I live on a small 10 acre horse farm. Actually, the horse community calls it a hobby farm since it is solely for our recreation with no commercial interests. It is a wonderful place to call home. As an added bonus the sunsets here are breathtaking at times. However, keeping that much [...]

Why is it that when you sand a small area of drywall plaster in the far corner of the basement you can later find plaster dust in your bedroom closet which is on the opposite side of the house and a story up? It is amazing how far plaster dust carries regardless of how you [...]

Well, I am almost 6 months into the model railroad room build and progress has been slow. Real slow. But progress is being made nonetheless. Summer is here so the outdoor activities have picked up. Mowing and trimming take almost a full day of each weekend. And then there is horse pasture maintenance. Over Memorial [...]

A diagram of how the basement is being transformed. The basement was one single large area when the house was brand new. Now it is essentially 5 rooms – mechanicals, workshop, bathroom, trains, and general space. All in all, I am quite pleased with how it is taking shape. The east end of the basement [...]

Tonight was filled with apprehension. I soldered the last pipe of the new plumbing for the basement bathroom and wash tub. It was time to tie the new plumbing into the house system and turn on the water. The usual problem of getting all the water out of the system so the solder joints will [...]

Everything seems so simple until you start getting into the details. Building a room in the basement for the LK&O is turning out to be no different. Laying out and building the walls was easy. A trip to Home Depot, a couple of evenings measuring, cutting and nailing, and presto I had walls. But wait. [...]