Snuggle On Over

The new fireplace

Exciting weekend.

Javier (of JD Woodworks) built us a surround for the gas fireplace we bought as our mutual Christmas present. I'm amazed at how fast he works: on Wednesday, he came out to finalize the plan & the measurements, on Thursday/Friday he and his guys built it, and on Sunday, he installed it. Badda bing. Handsome, no?

The middle section, awaiting installation

Now I have to paint it (being the resident Painter Laureaute of Chez M), have a plumber hook it up, and get it tiled. And then--ahhh!--sweet warmth! Defrosting my poor chillblained toes. No remote control, unfortunately. We're going to actually have to get up, walk to the fireplace, and manually turn the thing on or off. Uf! Still worth it, though. Plus, it looks nice.

You may remember that in my original plan for the fireplace, I wanted it to go in the corner. However, our room is not very large, and when you add in the tile surround and mantlepiece, the whole thing would take up a really disproportionately large triangle of space. Plus, there was no room for a bookcase between the fireplace and the window--that was the clincher. So there was a bit of a design change, but I think it otherwise looks much like the plan, allowing for some adjustments in proportions.

While Javier was here, we also had him hang the last three antique doors from Mom & Dad. They still need more paint removed, not to mention staining and varnishing, but we wanted to have as much done at once as we could. Even in their present raw state, they look miles better than the dinky styrofoam things they are replacing. And the hinges--they look so much like real hinges.

Oh, yeah--and some day we need to replace the baseboards in the master bedroom. Kinda forgot about that till I saw this picture.

Meanwhile, in all things woodworky, Matt's been working on other baseboards around the house--he finished installing quarter-round in the dining room, caulked it in, and even painted it (he hates painting).


And, most impressively from a DIY perspective, he has begun hanging gutters on the house. We tested them this afternoon, and they transported water beautifully. The wooden windows and doorframes of our house will be so grateful.

Next step: trim ends and install downspouts.

I asked Matt if he had learned anything about hanging gutters to share with the blogly audience. He said:

(1) Be sure to give them enough grade or the water will sit.
(2) Drill and install the nails into each gutter piece before hanging.
(3) If you're working by yourself, hang each piece of gutter by its middle nail first.

So there you are.

Et voilà! Water coming out of the gutters (at the end, as is preferable)