$10 to Organized: DIY Silverware Drawer Organizer

Hey folks: it seems to be that time of the month again (no, not THAT): it's build challenge day!

You've seen me participate in these before (such as here and here… and oh yeah, here too) and probably have noticed a few other bloggers participating with the hashtag #OrganizeBuildChallenge on social media this morning. Doing one of these challenges is usually tough, but also a lot of fun — mainly because it always gets my butt in gear to complete something on my to-do list, but I have to constantly reassure myself that I've got the skills to put my project up next to the amazing showcase of DIY talent. As for my project? I went back into the kitchen for this one:

As I've gone through the process of remodeling the kitchen, I am now at the phase where I get to start putting everything back into place and making sure it works and flows for my needs. Part of that involves upgrading kitchenware, such as swapping out my mismatched plates, glasses with beer logos on them (way. too. many!), and bent silverware in favor of their "grown up" counterparts. Slowly, I've been editing each collection of "stuff" and donating things as I go — nixing the items I bought in one of those 50-piece sets where everything is cheap and melts or rusts in the dishwasher in favor of the items that cost a little more and make me feel like I'm a little better off than a bachelor's first apartment after college — basically, what adulting is supposed to look like now that I'm in my 30s.

This drawer, along with the many other cabinets and drawer spaces throughout the kitchen, needed some refocus and tidying up. As I combed through the old set, I wanted to  find a convenient way to feature my recent purchase of an entire set of matching silverware. It may not seem like that big of a milestone until you've seen the hodgepodge of crap I was using before!

I guess it's one of those things that you just don't notice on a daily basis, but keep in the back of your mind that it's time to make the upgrade. I found this set during a Black Friday sale, and I love the simplicity of the design and the extra weight these have compared to my old set(s). There was just one little issue that bugged me: there were more types/sizes of silverware in this set than my old ones, and I ran out of spots for each one in the existing silverware organizer that I've been using.

It wasn't a bad organizer by any means; it was clean and perfectly nice to look at, but also too small for the drawer. So, since this month's theme was to organize something, now seemed like as good of a time as any to make a custom organizer and fully utilize the space inside the drawer:

Making a custom silverware drawer organizer is actually pretty easy: you just have to make sure you get the cuts precisely right, and have a few extra clamps on hand. You'll need (FYI, some o' these are affiliate links):

• craft wood of your choice (I went with 1/2″ for the frame and larger dividing pieces and 3/8″ thickness for the dividers between each type of cutlery)


• wood glue


• clamps (24″ or longer is a good choice)


• nail gun & finishing nails (optional: you can still build the frame without this as long as you have extra clamps, but it will likely take a little longer since the finishing nails secure things while the glue dries)


• something to line the table you're working on (I used leftover wrapping paper)

And the usual suspects:

• tape measure


• pencil


• miter saw

To get started, I first lined the drawer with some drawer liner material I picked up at IKEA (already an improvement, since it looks bright and clean. I also removed the drawer from its placement in the kitchen so that I could take precise measurements without the stove getting in the way (the drawer doesn't slide all the way out, so I'm looking into extending these as well with new sliders if possible).

To protect my work surface (the dining room table), I rolled out some leftover wrapping paper that had conveniently not found its way back into storage yet after the holidays. The first task would be to create the frame for the cutlery holder. While I could have just cut the divider pieces and then tried to glue those together by itself, the frame keeps things square and sturdy.

I was playing around with ideas for a while, but settled on dividing the silverware by its five major groupings (butter knives, small and large spoons, small and large forks), with a space at the back for lesser-used items (serving spoons and forks) and a longer channel on the left for miscellaneous items (can opener, etc.).

I doubt sharing measurements for this project is at all helpful because this was a custom fit to the specific drawer, but I figured that it made better utilization of the available wood to cut the longest pieces first and then cut the shorter ones (or as Ana White might say, look to create columns first before dividing it up more; you'll have fewer cuts). I also wanted the dividers between the cutlery to be slightly narrower, so I used 1/2″x3″ for the frame and middle dividers and 3/8″x3″ for the ones between the spoons/forks/knives (there are multiple options for species of wood in the craft wood section of your local home improvement store; I went with pine because even though it's a softer wood, it's cheaper and was the only one my store had with a 3/8″ width option).

I first glued and nailed the outer frame to make sure it fit into the drawer before gluing any other pieces. Once the outer frame was done and dry, I then cut the rest of the pieces and dry fit them before any gluing took place (this is a good time to sand each piece as well; sanding once it's all together makes it much harder to reach the corners). At first, I thought I'd measure the width of my existing cutlery organizer and use this as a guide for creating each flatware channel, but it wound up being close enough in width to the wood I was using, so I just put scrap pieces in between each divider to use as a temporary spacer until the glue dried.

Once you're happy with the placement of each piece, start gluing. You'll need clamps to help hold everything together until dry enough to move, which should take less than half an hour or so.

After the glue is fully cured, it's time to protect it. I've seen some DIY tutorials that show the piece being painted once finished, but I wouldn't really recommend this; your cutlery will bang and scrape along these dividers over time, and chipped paint isn't really a seasoning I prefer on my quesadillas. Instead, I went with the same food safe option as I did with my butcher block counters: a mix of beeswax and mineral oil.

Then, it's just a matter of adding things in where they belong.

There you have it! For about $10 in wood, that's one drawer down, several more yet left to organize. And don't forget to check out the other DIY projects in this series with several of my blogging pals:

• Elisha from Pneumatic Addict (this month's challenge host)


• Donna from Funky Junk Interiors


• Jen from House of Wood


• Jaime from That's My Letter


• Emily from Merrypad


• Kim from The Kim Six Fix


• Corey from Sawdust 2 Stitches


• Mindi from MyLove2Create


• Sarah from The Ugly Duckling House (that's me!)

What's your latest DIY organization project? There's always room on my to-do list for another!

The post $10 to Organized: DIY Silverware Drawer Organizer appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Ground Work

Friends, it's been a shitstick of a week so far (meh, bound to happen sometimes, right?). But rather than dwell on the negative, I decided instead to dwell on the ugly: moving backyard plants before they start budding again for spring. Ha!

While that doesn't sound like much of an improvement, and honestly probably won't even look like much of one until spring and summer rolls around, I decided to make a few changes in the back yard in preparation for the eventual upgrades I'm planning later this year.

Those of you who have been following along might recall that a few summers ago, I let bugs fall down my bra tore out a ton of overgrown ivy that had been plaguing my trees since moving into the house.

After that, it was cutting down a sh*tload of branches from my neighbors' overhanging trees that were blocking sunlight…

And then, cutting down nearly every pine tree on my property (with a little professional help)…

I started to beautify things a bit with my gardenia garden beds along the long-forgotten fence on the right side of the yard (owned by my neighbor, so I didn't really want to deal with the expense of replacing it, but I did want to make it look more appealing from my side. I think I'll probably tack up a few replacement boards on the really broken parts this summer. I have some leftover pieces from my own fence building project so it'll be a free upgrade!). The majority of the filler came from the ground-out stumps that had been left in a large mound where the trees used to be.

But, there was still another project I knew I'd need to get to before it warms up again: moving the azaleas, roses, and rhododendrons from a now-awkward placement (sitting next to nothing) and placing them next to the fence.

When the trees were there, it was less of a problem. These plants (I assume) were a part of a more elaborate elevated area that the previous owner had planted around each tree. It had long since overgrown by the time I moved in, but I didn't mind quite so much when things were in bloom!

Now that the trees are gone though, having these plants in their original spots just made things a little inconvenient. Since Charlie can jump the 6-foot fence, she has to be on a loooong leash while she is outside. And since she's not a natural problem solver on her own (sigh, the pretty ones are always dumb), I frequently have to untangle her leash to keep it from ripping out one of the bushes. Sometimes, I'm not quite so quick to get to it before her strong legs yank them out of the ground:

Whoops!

So, the task was pretty simple: gather ye rose bushes while ye may — and azaleas and rhododendrons, respectively. (In fact, until I cut down the trees, I didn't even notice the rose bush!)

Between the crush of the tree removal and Charlie's snarls with the leash, the battered and tattered plants were looking pretty bleak by this point (but they had survived a lot already, so I'm confident they were at least okay enough to try to replant). Since the roses had finished blooming and the azaleas weren't due to bud until closer to spring, each plant was unearthed, divided (to create multiple plants out of the bigger bushes), and planted separately along the fence line until they start thriving again. Online forums told me not to fertilize them during winter, but I think I might do some light-handed feeding just because of the shock from moving them. If you are meaning to move plants of your own, do some quick Googling to find out the best period of time to move each plant. Typically, it's during dormant months (as in, not blooming or getting ready to bloom). Here's some general info I found helpful, and you can look up charts like this for your climate zone.

It's not a permanent placement necessarily, but having them out of the way frees up nearly the entire mound of soil that they were all sitting on top of, which will make room for moving all of that soil toward the back of my yard to help fill up the sink hole. I know it won't be enough soil by itself (I'll probably have to buy some fill dirt and rent a mini excavator too — fun!), but it will go a long way toward leveling out all of that square footage.

Still left to do before all the dirt-moving begins:

• Dig up the rest of the decorative stone edging (a small amount that wasn't removed when the trees were)


• Peel up a bunch of that frayed landscaping fabric (it seems to be swirled into piles now… either by the tree removal process or Charlie, take your pick)

But that's for another day when it's not quite as cold outside. And then: some badass building plans can begin!

(And on a completely unrelated note, or I guess since it's cold outside and people like to hibernate and watch TV in weather like this: some blog friends and I were just talking about this a few days ago, so I thought I'd pass it on here too. If you were hooked on Making a Murderer on Netflix, you've got to see Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. Honestly, it's an incredible documentary. Heart-wrenching… also on Netflix, FYI. Here's the trailer. No spoilers in the comments please if you've seen either one!)

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How to Keep the House Warmer This Winter

I suppose that this post is a sort of follow up to my last one, kind of like a specials insert in a laminated menu. But it occurred to me that while I was writing my post about how I fixed the furnace that a friend of mine thought her upstairs heat had gone out and was texting me about it. What was causing her to worry was mainly that her two kiddos (a toddler and infant) were asleep on the floor where it was getting colder, and without the ability to immediately call for an HVAC guy to come out (or without paying some hefty fees for emergency HVAC repair), what was there to do?

There's always a chance that even if your brand new furnace is working incredibly efficiently, the power can go out. Or you can live in Atlanta and get stuck in your car in the middle of the Snowpocalypse. So, here are some tips I shared with her along with some that I've researched myself when I realized my heat had gone out, plus a few tips about how not to "let all the bought air out" on a regular basis (note: contains some affiliate links).

How to Keep The House Warmer – Regular Habits

Open curtains during the day; close at night

As much as possible, let the sun in when it has a chance to warm up the house. But at night, thick curtains help trap heat in. This may sound weird, but cheap clear shower curtains during the day in the winter (as opposed to sealing the window with that heat-shrinking plastic) can also help with keeping cold air out while letting the sunlight add a little warmth (I mean, they even come with tiny suction cups on the bottom… what's not to like? Except maybe that there's a freaking shower curtain over your window).

Install a Programmable Thermostat

I've been delaying this mainly because I have an odd affection for my old school thermostat (I just think it's adorable in its oldness), but a programmable thermostat can help you keep the house chillier at times when you're not home (like during the day when you're at work) and warmer when you are.

Add Rugs to Bare Flooring

Now that I have a pet, I definitely wish I'd just put laminate in the upstairs bedrooms like I did the rest of the house. But the rooms without carpet are definitely colder, so adding warm layers (just like you would in cold temps with clothing) help trap heat. In fact, this is probably the reason why rugs and other decor (like curtains) were created in the first place. According to the National Energy Foundation, it can add up to 10% less heat loss than a bare floor!

via Design Sponge

Switch Your Fans in Winter

During the winter, your blades need to turn in the opposite direction than in the summer. This can be done either by actually removing and turning your blades to tilt in the other direction (if it spins only in one direction) or, if you have newer ceiling fans, by flipping the reverse switch on the fan's housing. The reason for this is simple: the summer setting (usually counter-clockwise) pushes the airflow directly downward and then circulates up near the walls, cooling the room; in the winter, the opposite direction forces heat from the top of the room down the walls and back up the middle, forcing hotter air toward the floor (and since heat rises, this keeps the warmer air flowing in rather than out).

Unblock Those Heating Vents

Many people often put furniture in a room without planning around heating and air vents. But moving furniture away from these spots helps air flow and prevents heat from getting trapped in the wrong places. Be sure to do some proper space planning, and at the very least, scoot your furniture away from the walls to prevent blocking vents.

Insulate Properly

Shortly after moving into the house, I installed more insulation up in the attic along with plywood to increase storage space. But you should also look to add weather stripping around the attic door. And did you know you can wrap a fiberglass insulation blanket around most hot water heaters? It pays for itself in about a year (ignore if you have a tankless one… I have a separate post coming up about hot water heater savings ideas alone, so I'll get to that soon). Inexpensive upgrades can save you a lot of money in the long-term.

If You Have a Radiator

Use heat reflective tinfoil on the back to help trap heat, and add a shelf above it (especially if it's under a window) to help prevent heat loss. Just don't rest anything directly on top for safety reasons (float the shelf a couple inches off).

via – I also love this simple and unique shelf look!

Close Off Unused Rooms

Rooms that you aren't using much don't really need to be heated as often, so consider shutting the doors and/or turning off the vents that go to those rooms (though this does compromise the efficiency that the heating system was made for, so take this into consideration). You should also test this out a little when it comes to your own home. I noticed that when I close off my master bedroom door (where I spend most of my time upstairs), it's the rest of the upper floor that stays warmer, so I keep the door open to allow the heat from the hallway to flow into the room.

Mind the Gap(s)

If you can't afford to replace them, caulk the ever-loving shit out of your old drafty windows. DIY draft snakes are also good for additional insulation (towels and the like can be more effective than nothing in a pinch, but you might want to make some of these for the long term if you live in a drafty house and caulking isn't enough). I especially like this faux fur version!

To Build a Fire or Not?

You should also look to other places in the home that compromise the heat from being trapped inside, such as your fireplace. As much as a cozy fire seems like it will heat the house well, the fact is that most of them are drafty, meant more for decoration than a heat source, and will actually cause heat from the rest of the home to get sucked out even faster (and will suck chilly air in). Not to mention, even after a fire goes out, you still have to leave the flue open to help prevent carbon monoxide buildup in the home, which is basically one giant opening for escaping heat. In many cases, it's actually better to close the flue and to use a fireplace insert to seal it off when not in use (do NOT use any weather stripping, btw… this is a fire hazard). This DIY version below from Pretty Handy Girl is also nicely decorative.

How to Keep The House Warmer – More Immediate

Get Your Bake On

For the same reason people complain about cooking in the summer heat, cooking in the winter will make your house a little warmer. If the power is still on, bake a chicken; use the crock pot. In the same vein, drinking warm fluids also help you feel nice and cozy. Eating also raises your metabolism, so use snacking to your benefit!

Stay Dry

Getting wet will chill you down quickly, so unless you don't expect the power to go out, avoid a hot shower since steam and anything else that brings in moisture will make rooms feel colder in a hurry. But if you're expecting that the power will go out long enough to need to do some cuddling with family and friends, it's probably a good idea to take a shower early on and make others more likely to want to sit next to your stinky ass.

Go Upstairs

Heat rises. If you live on multiple floors, go upstairs and allow science to do its thing. However, note that due to another phenomenon called the "stack effect" that the lower levels of your home will suck in colder air when the hot air travels to upper floors. To mitigate this, seal off doors and windows as much as possible (see above).

Use One Room

This advice is on the extreme side, but sometimes it's needed. Smaller rooms are easier to keep warm than larger rooms. During extended periods when the power is out, use just one common room in the house with the least amount of windows. Do all of your activities (sleeping, awake activities) in that room as much as possible (except for, you know, cooking and using the bathroom, of course). You can even go so far as to hang blankets above the doorways and windows to help trap all of your body heat in the room. Make it fun for kiddos by propping up a small tent with sleeping bags; the confined space will trap heat in while they sleep even more.

Cuddle with Your Pets

Charlie loves to cuddle, and it usually drives me MAD when she won't move out of my personal space. But she's also a living, breathing space heater (slash fart machine). Your pets will probably love the extra snuggles and won't mind at all that you're blatantly using them for your own toasty gain.

Wear Layers

Find that ugly ass Snuggie you got as an office Secret Santa gift that you swore you'd never wear and compromise that fashion sense like a boss. I won't judge.

Make and Use Handwarmers

Chemical hand warmers and those awesome post-workout muscle heat wrap thingies can last for several hours without requiring an external heat source. If you have a sense that your power is about to go out, you can also create some temporary heating elements by heating up a satchel of dry rice in the microwave (it's kinda smelly, but I used these a lot as a kid).

Exercise

If there was ever a good excuse to do this, now's the time. Raise your heart rate, circulate your blood, and generate some body heat. Just wear some type of deodorant if you're all stuck in that one room, k?

Use Extra Heating Elements

If your power still works, things like electric blankets and space heaters (there actually are some energy-efficient ones these days) are a nice solution. But since space heaters are known to also be dangerous if they tip over, be very cautious with these and any open flame, like candles. Never leave it unattended, or you'll have more heat than you bargained for when your house goes up in a ROARING blaze (just ask my neighbor down the street… thankfully they all got out safely!).

For Your Car

It's definitely not a great scenario, but after Atlanta's whole issue with ice creating chaos for drivers a few years ago that left a lot of people stranded in their cars without heat, a good emergency kit is essential. I've already mentioned many of these elements above, but keep these things in your car to provide some potentially life-saving help:

• chemical warmers


• thin thermal blankets


• food, such as energy bars (raising your metabolism heats the body, plus you're kinda trapped and eating gives you something to do)


• extra layers (cheap fleece jackets, gloves and hats can be purchased at the dollar store or Walmart on sale)


• other emergency items that have little to do with heat: emergency flares, reflective vest, rain poncho, water, jumper cables, first aid kit, duct tape, multi-tool pliers, whistle, zip ties, flashlight, etc.

That about does it. Got any of your own tips to share? Please do!

Sources: BBC, wikiHow, The Art of Manliness, HuffPo, Common Sense Home, Mom

The post How to Keep the House Warmer This Winter appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Fixing the Furnace (and Saving Some Serious $)

Not every home improvement story can be a glamorous one, but the ones that aren't sure can save a lot of money! Case in point: learning how to fix the furnace and avoid a $500-900 charge in new parts and labor.

About six weeks ago in December, I went out of town for a lovely cabin weekend with a bunch of friends (translation: we played a lot of drinking games in the middle of nowhere, people did stupid and hilarious things). Since this post is mostly about broken and dirty things dealt with in my cramped attic, I'll at least give you one nice picture to look at before everything looks like a set from a horror flick:

Come to think of it, that still looks like at least the beginning of a slasher movie setting, right?

Anyway, we had an awesome time, but I returned home to find that the house seemed a little… off, for some reason. Not enough to set off any alarms in my head, but that unmistakable feeling that something is broken (newer homeowners: if you haven't learned this instinct yet, just wait… it happens!). I soon realized what the issue was: the lack of humming coming from the furnace above my head. Granted, it had been a really warm weekend for December, so the house didn't feel surprisingly chilly or anything, so I naturally just thought that the heater wasn't kicking on because of the weather. But as the temps dipped down the next day, I looked at the forecast and saw an impending issue: it was going to get into the freezing temps by the end of the week, and if something really was broken, I needed to get it fixed asap.

Over the years, being a homeowner leads to some interesting conversations with friends that you would never have had prior to buying a house. These are the kinds of conversations that stem from that random time your drinking buddy mentioned that his dad is/was a handyman and he knows a lot about plumbing/electrical/etc. after helping him out over the years. Or the time your friend mentions that her aunt picked up a new hobby in painting antique furniture. Basically, you start taking mental notes of which friends to ask in a pinch for certain questions, such as that random mechanic friend everyone has because he is MacGuyver with a socket wrench. This isn't the only reason you hang out with them, of course — that would be weird and would make you a shitty person — but after years of blogging about my home, I know that when I get a phone call or text from a friend who owns a house, there's an increased likelihood that their invite for dinner might also include "taking a look" at something in their house and doling out design advice while I'm there (which I'm FAR more interested in doing than, say, bringing something I cooked, so this works out happily for me as well).*

*Note to self: find an awesome friend who just happens to know how to weld.

Anyway, after checking the breaker (safety first: if you're going to be messing with things that light on fire, turn off the things that supply a fire), watching a couple of Youtube videos, and doing a quick visual inspection in the attic, I texted my friend who I thought might know about furnaces and asked what the likeliest causes for it to suddenly conk out was. With his instruction, he walked me through a few steps and snapped photos to send him (there are apps for getting diagnoses from doctors, so a DIY home repair one sounds brilliant to me!). Soon, we thought we'd found the culprit.

First, I started by closely looking at the label on the furnace with a flashlight to determine if it had a pilot light or not. Turns out, many newer furnaces don't actually have a pilot light anymore and instead opt for electronic ignition in some way. The reason for this is pretty obvious, since pilot lights can go out, and no one wants to climb into their attic that often to light it again (reliability is a pretty nifty perk). Not having a pilot light on all the time also means better energy efficiency (only lighting up and burning resources when needed) and better safety measures (no open flame just sitting there if there's an issue with gas, etc.).

diiiiiiirty, hard to reach part of my attic space

I also looked around for the emergency switch, usually found somewhere near the furnace but not necessarily attached to it. Mine turned out to be installed on one of the webs holding up the roof directly behind where you look at the furnace, so it was basically hiding in plain sight since I had my back to it (a web is an angled piece that helps support the roof line); go figure.

After I saw on the label that it definitely did not need an open flame (because warnings), I took off the front panel of the furnace. Most of the videos I saw online were upright furnaces, but mine was installed on its side. This proved to be a bit tougher to take off than I expected, since a long pipe lying next to the top of the front panel made it tougher to slide up and out of the way.

Once I could see inside, I spent a little time identifying the parts I needed to check next. One: the area where normally there would be burners a-blazing, but instead were shut off completely.

Next to it was the igniter (see pic below).

Some furnaces have intermittent pilots that aren't meant to stay on all the time; they just spark to ignite when the time comes to ignite the burners (similar, I'm guessing, to how automatic ignition in my gas stove works).  Instead, my furnace used a "hot surface igniter", or basically a coil that heats up and lights the burners by sitting right next to where the gas will come out and fuel the system. Over time, these coils can crack and break (or if they are touched or even looked at the wrong way; some guides advise blowing dust off and closing the furnace doors gently to avoid breaking them). See how below, it looks like there's a crack in the middle?

I was still on the phone with my friend after sending him the photos, and he determined that the likely problem was that the coil had cracked, was about to break completely, and the system had turned off automatically (a safety measure to prevent gas buildup). Luckily, a new one wasn't too expensive of a part ($50 or so with labor), and thanks to the photo, he could probably track it down with his dad. I set a plan for the next day and thought how awesomely genius text messaging can really be. Success!

Day 2

Or maybe not. The next evening, my friend stopped by and we immediately hit a road block: the coil was actually totally fine. Even though it looked like it was cracked from the closest angle I could reach it, it was just a little discoloration. In fact, I found an additional broken coil just sitting on top of some insulation while I was up there:

Since this cracked igniter was the cheapest of the options of what could be wrong, it meant that there was a more expensive solution lurking ahead. Wop-wop.

Moving on, we selected the next best problem candidate: the blower/fan. Usually, problems like these are noisy before they stop working (they can rust out), but I hadn't heard any warning signs prior. He tried a couple of times to get it to spin again without heat (using the fan option on the thermostat), but no such luck. The best option from there was to track down a used replacement; a used one would still be pricey at around $250-300, but a new one plus labor could be as high as $900 (yikes!).

Day 3

My buddy's dad thankfully did have a used part, but he also had one more suggestion before replacing: lube ‘er up. Some machines actual require regular oiling in order to work properly (a fact I was oblivious to), so adding just a few drops of oil might actually fix it (note: do not over lubricate either; that can also cause issues leading to replacement). He had some machine oil and tried it (he also added that you could use motor oil as well, but I forget which weight). And here's the good news: ACTUAL SUCCESS. The furnace started right back up again, and I was only out the cost of labor for his time. Sweeeeet.*

Looks like I won't need all of this after all!

There are certain times, like this furnace issue, where I feel far more comfortable calling in some reinforcements who understand a system better than I do. Plumbing and HVAC? No shame in asking for help! Plus, these guys were so willing to teach me knew skills about how things were supposed to work that it gave me some basic home repair skills to reuse the next time. Of course, that's also with the expectation that there is a "next time"; the oil solution wasn't likely to be a permanent one, so even though I have a little more time, I will need to start putting some money aside for the inevitable (and pricier) replacement repair. But anything over $100 in repairs that I can put off longer is a welcome option.

What was the last repair that turned out to be better than you initially thought?

*And did you SEE how many times I could have made gas or lube jokes and didn't? Someone owes me a cookie.

The post Fixing the Furnace (and Saving Some Serious $) appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Goal-Setting, 2016

Phew! The site's been down for a few days and is now thankfully working again (hopefully for good, but we'll see!). If you've been trying to access the site over the weekend through today, I'm so sorry that you got an error message… the host I'm on got attacked and had to spend a lot of emergency hours trying to get a bunch of sites (not just mine) working again. So let's get on with a new post, shall we?

——————————————–

It's that time of year again. Buh-bye, worn out and tired old year. Hello, crisp and shiny new year. And it's the time for some to reflect and make plans for what we hope to accomplish in the coming 365 days (or rather, 366, since 2016 is a leap year). I often waffle* between the two opposing thoughts that it's both nice to have the opportunity that everyone seems to grant us to reflect and start anew, while simultaneously believing I'm totally cliché for thinking that January 1st has any bearing on what I'm supposed to do with an entire twelve months. Regardless, I put an effort into this whole thought process last year, which actually turned up results, so I suppose it couldn't hurt to spell it all out once again and see what happens, right? Let's do it!

Pause, Indulge, Savor

In 2015, I wanted to figure out a way to better way to keep work and home life separate. I've mentioned before that I think "balance" is a losing battle in the same way any perfection goal is, but making a conscious effort to divide my time better is a good place to start. Last year, I did manage to do a better job of knowing when to put the computer away and get more home-related goals completed, started apologizing less for taking time away, and it led to less clutter and some pretty great projects getting crossed off the list. This year, however, I want to make a thoughtful effort to just allowing myself to relax and enjoy the moments when I take a break. For example: I leave far too many candles unlit. I didn't take a single bath all of last year (calm down, I still showered). And it's that kind of quiet time I could really stand to do more of this year.

This year's goal will be to just savor moments of relaxation more and actually indulge in the house like it should be. I guess you could say that this goes in so many different directions, there are a lot of mini goals involved, such as cooking at home more. I replaced all of my old dishes and silverware for their grown-up counterparts within the last two years, and I was correct in thinking that it would make me want to cook at home. Now that the kitchen walls are also done, the desire is now turned up to 7 (I know the joke is "turned up to 11", but let's be real: I'm never going to want to cook that much!). I've been working on it slowly so that I don't go back to my old takeout crutch, and I have a number of project ideas this year to share that will be less renovation and more post-renovation fun.

Stay Active

I got active in 2015, mainly to get out of the house (working from home is great, but you have to make more of an effort to move around). It took some experimenting to find what really kept me coming back. During the summer months, I routinely hiked up Stone Mountain (my asthma made that a lot of fun), and I'd like to get better at it this year, possibly run up partway on my weekly hikes.

I also joined a weekly running group (which okay, is also a social drinking club) and met a number of great new people, which is still paying off since it makes me more aware of other running groups doing 5ks and other activities throughout the week (I just found a mud run group last week, and you already know how much I enjoy those). I also re-joined my softball team and found that the social aspect was essential, since it makes me feel more accountable. For 2016, I would just like to add to that and join a second softball team later in the week. Oh yeah, and buy new cleats — during our season championship double-header (which we WON!!!), I was missing half a shoe for a game and a half.

Home Projects

Ah, the main event: house projects!

Living room built-ins

The living room has come a long way, but I've always wanted to add built-ins to the wall between the living and dining rooms. I sold off my living room bookcase last year in preparation, and unfortunately didn't think through where I'd put all of my books once they had no home to belong to!

via Sita Montgomery Interiors

Master bath

The master bath needs. to. happen. this year. The guest bathroom works just fine, but it will be nice to finally get this thing working again. There were some issues with the floor tile install (more on that soon), but hopefully I can get it resolved and pick back up on this project.

Master closet

The master closet was one of the first projects I took on with the house. So, naturally, it's the first to fall apart. And once a closet starts to fall apart, there's a snowball effect for all of the clothes that were supposed to have a designated place to be put away but don't. I guess I can blame my beginner's ignorance at buying a closet system on clearance, and I have let this go on for far too long. The drawers are falling apart, but the main issue has more to do with not better planning the space for my needs. Now that I know what I need to store and how much (save for the efforts I've been making to donate a lot of clothes in prep for this closet makeover), I've been coming up with plans (see lots more ideas on my closet Pinterest board).

via Sawdust Girl

Window casing

The living room windows are getting new molding, leaving just the upstairs rooms who need to be finished off. I bought a contractor's pack's worth of casing to get it all done in one project, so more on that soon!

Guest bedroom

The guest bedroom has been the poor, neglected room for the majority of the time I've spent in this house. I have a need to add a few things to the house that I really have no other space for, so the guest bedroom will be a catchall room. I first need to get rid of a few items that I no longer need/use, and then the organization can start!

Outdoor projects

I did a number of outdoor improvements to the house in 2015, and now that the back yard is cleared of excess trees (save for one), I can finally start putting a plan into action for filling in the sink hole and expanding the patio. I can't wait to have an outdoor space to enjoy grilling on and entertaining with friends! I have ideas for how to get it accomplished without a huge amount of digging or involvement with permits and such (something that you always want to be aware of when utilities might be involved), but I'm really excited. Even if it's too tall an order for completing by the end of the year, I'm confident I'll be much further along thanks to the encouragement that this past year's improvements have given me.

Blog goals

January also happens to be a great time to spruce up other things, which brings me to updates about the site…

Organization

After last year's blog redesign, I'm improving certain parts of the site little by little. Things like speed, security, SEO, and ease of use to let you guys get to your favorite areas faster are all on the table. I'm also slowly but surely filling in the House Tour pages with more details, sources, updated pictures, etc.

For those of you that subscribe via email, I've also made the decision to finally switch off of Feedburner. It's just one of those things that was sitting on the to-do list for a long time and needed to happen (Feedburner is outdated and is no longer supported, so if anything were to go wrong, it would force me to switch off of it anyway). I took as long as I did because I was afraid that it would go poorly, and I'm still working out some kinks (thank you to those who have emailed or messaged me and allowed me to troubleshoot!). It seems to have gone okay for the vast majority of subscribers, but if you're getting more than one email per post, here's the correct one.

Fun

Starting with December's Santa duck, I've been having fun with decorating my logo for each holiday. It's a nice creative break when I get stumped with other projects. But now I also feel like I've got to name the little dude. What do you think he should be called? Suggestions welcome!

Video

Growth goals are never a surprise for bloggers, but since I tend to overshare anyway, I have been pushing myself to get on board with video. It's not super easy to do well while DIYing on my own (and means I have to put on makeup and wear something other than PJs), but I would very much like to add YouTube videos to some of my more complex tutorials and simply do some more fun Q&A sessions on Periscope as a new way to let you guys see what I'm working on (not to mention a few tips & tricks that are better demonstrated via video). I promise not to edit out the throwing of tools when I get frustrated.

That's it! Or rather, that's enough. I'm sure I'll have plenty of other goals I haven't thought of yet for the year, or perhaps just ones I forgot, but I'm hesitant to give myself too long of a list that would be doomed for overwhelming failure. What are your biggest goals for the new year? If you have any of the same goals, I'd love to hear about how you plan to get these done — maybe we can motivate each other!

*Mmmmm… waffles. Definitely need to make more of those this year.

The post Goal-Setting, 2016 appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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Favorite Projects of 2015: Friends Edition

In my last post, I shared all of my favorite projects of 2015. Some were on the list because they were popular with the blogging community (like my raised garden beds the lumber rack in the garage); some were ones I was just plain proud of because of their significance to the house’s progress (like taking down the trees and repairing the siding). And, that got me thinking a little bit.

While I do love the cosmetic upgrades just as much as the next person with eyeballs, this blog has kind of always been about the “ugly” side of home improvement. Some of the messier-looking projects have such an impact on the house that they will always stand out in my mind as the best… even when the “popular” posts of the year don’t always tell the whole story. Getting rid of the pine trees wasn’t a glamorous project, but it meant less pine straw to keep up with in the yard and even less pine straw clogging or weighing down my roof and gutters*. I’m going to love the smell of my gardenias blooming next summer, but fewer home repairs and a greater sense of knowledge about my property in general? Made of WIN. And it paves the way for some badass projects I have in mind for 2016, which wouldn’t be possible without doing these things first.

For bloggers, the heavy value we place on traffic numbers and social media popularity can skew how a we see our accomplishments, which can also cause us to take our eyes off of the things we challenged ourselves to do or things we discovered about ourselves as we did them. But blogging is also about community and sharing these lessons with others (whether it’s a “yay, I did it!” or “dammit, that squirrel is back“). So, I thought I’d have a fun experiment with some of my blog friends. I posed a simple question: if you had to pick ONE project for this year, even if it wasn’t a “popular” post, which one was your favorite, and why? The answers ranged from small things to BIG room changes, but it was a nice reminder of how much fun the challenge can really be. I hope you enjoy these responses, too!

From Build Basic: DIY Coffee Table

“My favorite project this year was my coffee table. It’s maybe the first thing I’ve ever stained that came out exactly how I wanted it to. I lack confidence (and patience) when it comes to finishes, but I knew this was going to be the centerpiece of our living room, so I literally forced myself to walk away every time I started to rush. Which is all to say, the table is a constant reminder to me that I need to slooooow down ;)”

From Kim Six Fix: DIY Air Conditioner Screen

“…it is the only project I’ve designed and built from scratch, and actually got the thumbs up from a professional after the install, which made me super proud!”

From Not Just a Housewife: DIY Terrarium Side Table

“I’ve been obsessed with terrariums since the fifth grade when Mrs. Tanner helped us make one out of a two liter bottle. When I needed a new side table for my family room, I thought “Why not make a terrarium?” It challenged me since I had never cut and welded acrylic before so it made it all the more rewarding when it was done.”

From Fix This Build That: Reclaimed Industrial Side Table

“The thing I love about this one is how awesome the finish on the top turned out and the character in the wood. Also it sits in our family room where I put my drink any time we are watching TV. So I get to see it a lot and it just makes me smile everytime I look at that wood top with its big nasty knot, sawmill marks and patina. Love it!”

From My Repurposed Life: Dressing Table Repurposed Desk

“It showcases what you can do with old unwanted furniture. It’s really unlike any desk repurpose I’ve seen.”

From Pretty Handy Girl: How to Build a Table

“It wasn’t hard to make, but definitely thrilled with the results and that I finally found time to make it.”

From Organizing Made Fun: Home Office Reveal

“I’d probably say my home office – although my son’s room is a close second! It has my true style.”

From That’s My Letter: Loft Bed with Lego Storage

“Most proud of my son’s loft bed I designed & built and Jen (House of Wood) did the plans. Bloggers are stronger together!”

From Picardy Project: The Most Expensive Tape Measure Ever

“Sadly we didn’t get to complete many projects this year: toddler, pregnant/birth of another kiddo, growing our handyman/design business and looking for our new house (we have an offer on a short sale!) but there is one thing we did complete, and that’s a small project for our girls: our family growth chart. I loved how detailed and personalized we got, and even though it cost a small fortune, it’s so perfectly us and I hope it gets used for generations.”

From House of Wood: DIY Reclaimed Bed

“…the bed I built for my daughter. She loves it and I love that we can take it with us wherever we move since it disassembles easily. I love looking at all the different grains and tones of wood when I sing her to sleep every night.”

From Her Tool Belt: Console Table with Scroll Legs

“I love the curves of the scroll legs! It’s an unexpected outcome from building lumber.”

From Addicted to DIY: Dog Food Station

“I know a dog food station isn’t exactly ground-breaking, but it was one of the first projects I was able to draw my own plans for and it got such a great response from people who were building it for their own dogs :)”

From Sawdust and Embryos: Fold Down Murphy Desk with Storage

“… the whole concept and design came out of my head, AND it’s so functional and gets used everyday by the littles!”

From Sawdust 2 Stitches: Garage Sale Cabinet Turned Kitchen Island

“This project has earned it’s rank as one of my favorite projects of all time, and tops the charts for 2015. I love the fact that no one ever suspects what the decrepit old cabinet had potential of becoming!”

And speaking of projects YOU are proud of from 2015, Stacy from Not Just a Housewife is running a contest this week for the Best DIY project of 2015, and I’m participating as a judge (hmm… not finishing any of my own projects and judging the ones that others make… sounds like a perfect fit for me, right?). You can check all of that out and enter here.

What project are you most proud of in 2015?

*For those that will likely ask, I do have gutter guards – which were replaced before I had moved into the home, but already replaced nonetheless. But we were talking about an overwhelming amount of pine straw, and the guards just couldn’t keep up!

The post Favorite Projects of 2015: Friends Edition appeared first on The Ugly Duckling House.

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