Mildly Amusing

Today I did more online reading about building your own door frames, and for fun, installing pre-hung doors.  I also watched a handful of videos of installations.  The first thing they all said to do?  Put a level on your header, and make sure that it is, indeed, level before you attach your new door frame to it.

Header?  Yeah.  I don't have one of those.

I can see clear through to the other side, no obstruction .  Guess I'll be doing a bit of retro-fitting... Probably not the last time.

Stepping Up to the Edge

Two days after proclaiming that I am taking the door frame plunge, I've still just put my big toe in the water.  My suit is dry.  But I've done more research, more questions have been asked and answered, more decisions made, and now I'm firmly committed to a plan.  I am not sheetrocking the entire wall and I am building my own door frames. 

Yesterday I got out my big Do It Yourself hardcover book my very handy sister (she even does her own plumbing!) gave me for my housewarming and read about hanging doors.  Picked up a few good tips.

Then I went to Home Depot to look at pre-hung doors.  A part of me admitted that if they suited my needs and were reasonably priced (they were -- about $60) I may relent and buy one instead of building one, but there were many reasons they were wrong: 

1)  The jamb wasn't wide enough so I'd still have the same issue;

2)  The wood that the jamb was made of was pieced and not matching -- clearly meant to be painted not stained;

3)  The door was hollow (which seems to equate poor quality) and just a plain flat box -- not the style of the house;

4)  The hinges were brass, not brushed nickel.  Granted, those could be changed out, but it's additional hassle and expense.

It was a worthwhile trip, though because I could examine the whole gizmo closely with an eye on re-creating it at home.  Again, I'll say, gosh, it doesn't look like there is that much to it -- but I am positive that I must be missing the finer details and underestimating the required engineering...

I had a guy in the door section of Home Depot answering my questions and trying to troubleshoot with me, and eventually he said, "Are you doing all this work yourself?"  I replied that I was.*  His reply"  "Wow.  That's cool."  (Which from my perspective sounded like, "Wow.  You're crazy.") 

Red asked me if I plan to re-hang the doors that are currently hung.  You know, re-hang the white ones with 81 years of paint on them into my new beautifully stained door frames?  Unfortunately, yes, that's my plan for now.  I do plan to learn how to make interior doors, but it just too freakin' hot outside to spent that much time outdoors right now.  I thought about just not putting all the doors back up -- but that's probably not realistic.  I need the bedroom door for the dog/alarm system, I need the bathroom door for obvious reasons, the swinging kitchen door (I know, I know:  swinging.  Won't THAT one be a fun one to tackle?  I'm in total denial about that one) I need for the dog -- so ultimately that wouldn't be a workable plan.  I'm also toying with the idea of pocket doors or sliding barn doors... but I haven't devoted enough thought to them yet to have an intelligent conversation about them. 

I'll admit that the project is a tiny bit daunting. But I'll just as readily say that I am positive that I can figure it out. (Thanks mom, thanks dad -- somehow you raised me to have such confidence!)  And this guy assures me that it's all in a day's work on the job site -- and just look how happy he is!

* Unless I can make it appear so intriguing that Red can't resist jumping in.

Making it happen

It's amusing to me -- Home Depot will apparently rent anything to anyone.  (Well, anyone with a valid DL, a major credit card and current proof of insurance --)   I give you Exhibit A:

EXHIBIT A



This is a new, Super Duty something-or-other with a 3,000 pound payload (I like that word, can you tell?  I'm not even sure that I am using it correctly.)  For a $25 deposit you can drive it all over town.  It has gigantic side rearview mirrors, an alarm that sounds if you overload the bed, and when you reverse?  It beeps as though it were a very large piece of equipment.    And, if you normally drive one of the smallest convertibles on the road, this IS a very large piece of equipment.  My advice?  If you see one of these trucks around town, give the driver a wide berth -- just like I do when I see those U-Haul rental trucks.  You KNOW that isn't the vehicle that those people regularly drive.

Keith, my local friendly tool rental agent had no issue whatsoever with handing me the keys.  He did advise me that there was good news and bad news:  The truck is brand new.  Deadpan.  Get it?  Right:  don't mess it up. 

Portions of the drive to the gravel place -- about 5-6 miles -- were white knuckle driving.  I am a can-do type of girl.  I am.  But those mirrors?  They seemed to stick out a LONG WAY.  And the center light poles seem so close!  Every time one came up and I didn't clip it I was relieved.  And then -- road construction.  Those long lines of vertical concrete dividers that make the lanes seem oh so narrow?  Ahh ha ha ha ha.

As I drove, I mentally re-framed the experience with affirmations that it's good to push your comfort boundaries.  And really, it was sort of fun.  I was riding really high up.  And, here's a shocker -- fellow drivers seemed to do double-takes when they saw pigtails in the driver's seat.  I'm not going to tell you that wasn't entertaining.  It made me wish for my hard hat from my office bookshelf, just for shock value.  (Oh yes, I do have one.  Truthfully?  I have 3.  I know.  You're jealous.  I would be, too.)

And before I knew it, I was here:

I got out of the truck, my receipt in hand, and waited for the front end loader...   A guy in a truck with a little flatbed trailer got in line behind me.  I could tell, he was jealous of my truck.  Even if it was just a rental.  And then -- !

Here he comes!!

The truck sank considerably when the granite was dumped in.  As I drove the circular drive to get out of the area I called Red.  When he answered I said, "You know, they will rent anything to anyone..."