Home Prep

As this video perfectly testifies, installation methods matter in a job done right. Not all installers know or care enough to utilize the proper methods. I personally cringe while watching most HGTV home renovation shows as the installers frequently employ very improper installation methods. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XV_rcrHPk_c&feature=youtu.be

A good pro/con summary of bathtub types.

Today was custom niche day. Melvin, the homeowner’s pug, took it upon himself to look over my shoulder and act as quality control

Introducing a beautiful and unique piece of the beloved Honey Run Covered Bridge which will adorn some fortunate person’s wall for many years. This is a beautiful Lee Wright print (donated by the artist) which is framed with wood salvaged from the bridge site after the 2018 Camp Fire. The bridge was completely destroyed in the fire. Only metal roofing, nails and a few large support beams remained. Though these massive beams were heavily charred on the surface, very old and b...eautiful wood remained preserved underneath. The crew at Westgate Hardwoods were excited and very helpful in milling down a portion of the salvaged beams into 1 planks. We have been able to use these planks for the construction of birdhouses and now this rare and beautiful picture frame. Scott's Glass & Fabrication kindly donated the glass for this picture. The wood has not been stained, but a coat of satin clear finish has been applied to protect it. The images in this post do not properly reflect the full beauty of this wood. It is quite a sight to behold in person. We are planning to display the picture at the bridge site on Nov 9th from 10am-3pm, and will eventually list it for auction on eBay. As always 100% of the proceeds will help fund the rebuild of the HRCB. Please make plans to visit the HRCB site on Nov 9th where you can see this beautifully framed artwork as well as purchase the popular nail ornaments and birdhouses. Thank you all for your continued interest and support. Dimensions: Print - 15 x 30 Outer frame - 23 x 38

Some BEFORE & AFTERS of most recent (October) master bathroom remodel.

The first batch of 10 (out of 20 total) Honey Run Covered Bridge birdhouses will be available starting tomorrow, Friday Oct 18th at 8:00 AM, at Chico True Value... Hardware (230 W East Ave, in the Save Mart shopping center). For a $350 donation to the Rebuild Fund you can take one of these original creations home with you (while supplies last). The final batch of 10 birdhouses will be available on Saturday Oct 19th (while supplies last). Each birdhouse includes salvaged material from the beloved Honey Run Covered Bridge. The main box is made from new exterior grade cedar planks and has been lightly torched to help preserve the wood grain and give it a nice patina. The roof of each birdhouse and the mini hearts have all been made from salvaged bridge roofing, the front facing 1 facade slats (with fire-charred edges) is salvaged wood milled down from the massive support beams, and each bird perch is a salvaged nail that once fastened the siding of the bridge. A special thank you to Westgate Hardwoods for milling down the salvaged wood into 1 planks, and also to Lee Stockwell (of Chico True Value) and Angela Toft Gregorie, for supplying the new cedar planks and assembling the birdhouse boxes. That was a huge help in making it possible to fabricate so many birdhouses for one event. Once we received the assembled boxes we got busy and added the original bridge material. Thank you all for your generous support!

Working on the last batch of @Rebuild Honey Run Covered Bridge birdhouses for next weekend’s ‘Rebuild’ fundraiser at Chico True Value We are ripping down salvaged bridge wood recovered from the site to be used as the facade on each birdhouse. We are being careful and selective to rip down the wood in such a manner that charring from the Camp Fire is preserved on the outer edges of each facade. Salvaged bridge roofing metal will adorn the roof of each birdhouse, as will nails to be used as perches. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to acquire a unique piece of history and help fund the rebuild process. Make plans to visit True Value’s fundraising event next weekend, Oct 18-20.

Working on more Honey Run Covered Bridge birdhouses for an upcoming fundraiser at Chico True Value Hardware store this Oct 18-20. We have built just 5 birdhouses since the Camp Fire and they all sold very fast. The first 3 sold at eBay auction and the last 2 were raffled off at the annual pancake breakfast for the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association. We are gearing up to fabricate and make available a total of 20 at this upcoming fundraiser. This current series of birdhouse...s are unique from the first 5 in that the facades are being fabricated from 1 slats of very pretty bridge wood that was milled down for us by Westgate Hardwoods (the first birdhouses also included bridge wood for the facades but it was not milled). The outer edges still contain charred wood but the milling process exposes the very old but beautifully preserved wood that once supported the bridge. Just like the first series of birdhouses these will also have bridge metal adorning the roofs and original bridge nails as perches. If you wish to obtain a unique piece of history and help raise funds for the rebuilding of the Honey Run Covered Bridge please make plans to stop by True Value Hardware in Chico Oct 18-20.

When I’m not remodeling homes I occasionally get to engage in smaller projects on the side. Recently I had the true privilege to donate time, labor and materials to build a few really unique birdhouses as fundraising items for the Rebuild Honey Run Bridge fund. These are very special and rare birdhouses as they incorporate some salvaged wood, roofing and nails that were recovered from the Honey Run Covered Bridge site which burnt down in the 2018 Camp Fire. All proceeds generated from their auction will be donated to the Rebuild HRCB Fund. If you are interested in learning more about this effort please join the official facebook page Rebuild Honey Run Covered Bridge.