Changes to the blog

A wallboard lift is my newest toy.

Hi followers and visitors.  I am experimenting with a couple of changes I want to share with you. 

First, you may have noticed that I have been trying to catch up on some 2012 postings that have been languishing while I attended to other matters. This means dumping several posts at a time that may be for events out of order.

Second, in addition to discussing trips, I plan to use the blog to highlight accessibility upgrades and universal home design ideas I’ve been working on.  This material was to be part of a companion blog for families that include persons with mobility disabilities, but one blog is enough for me at this point.

Finally, I have decided to tighten up the commenting criteria to allow only members to contribute for a while and to require those annoying perceptual tests.  The reason for this is that a couple of recent comments have provided links to porn sites and I’m not interested in promoting those sites and content. The comments look like spam, but in case they are not I will be monitoring any new members as well.

New England can be grand in the winter.

See ya. 

Homo Sapiens, the toolmaker

Nothing makes me happier than the creative process of building things.  Every now and then a problem comes up that requires a creative solution.  Usually the Internet or local tool supplier will have the answer, but every now and then a little ingenuity is required.   Now that I’m under less time pressure I can savor those challenges and sometimes come up with an innovative solution.

Any DIYer who has installed hardwood floors knows how difficult it is to tighten up the last several courses as you approach the wall. Specialty stores sell a little pry bar about ten incheslong but courses that have been tightened by face nailing often need a little more muscle.

By re purposing a shingle removal tool I may have found a solution. 

The picture shows a homemade flooring tool. The blue portion is a shingle removal tool with a small modification. The slightly curved blade and cast iron offset handle would be perfect for smacking with a hammer, if there was some way to lock the far end behind the wood. That need is met by a six inch piece of one inch steel angle iron fastened to the bar with a quarter inch bolt.   All it took to assemble this tool was to drill a single hole in the end of the shingle tool and fasten the angle iron. 

Gloria is demonstrating how to use the tool to tighten the last row of bamboo flooring. A piece of cardboard under the tool protects the flooring and a small block to protects the grooved edge where the tool rests. Gloria has placed her left foot on the flat end of the bar and struck the handle with the rubber end of the mallet used with the flooring nailer visible behind her hand.

This tool works a charm.  When I needed the shingle removal tool for its intended purpose I removed the six inch angle iron and was good to go.

Adopt a grape vine?

In late September we re-visited Taylor-Brooke Vineyards in Woodstock, CT. Thanks to my Brother Jim and Sister-in-law Judy, I am the adoptive parent of a grape vine.  Jim and Judy weren’t available, so Gloria and I took my Mom and sister Carol along.  The picture was taken before the wine tasting after which spirits were higher.

The promotion comes with a bottle of wine each year for several years and a tour guided by the wine maker himself.  We came after the grape harvest was concluded.  The picture below shows Gloria and I with my adopted vine.

Here we are checking out the wines and mixing rooms.I had been a little skeptical about wine with added flavors, but found that the process was a lot more complicated than I thought and very interesting. Definitely this was a worthwhile experience.

These adopt a vine programs can be very educational. Consider trying one along your route.

Accessibility upgrades- ramps

Quite a lot of 2012 was dedicated to DIY remodeling on our home. Here is my youngest son Andrew. He took time away from his job at First Niagara Bank, and duties as Secretary of the local Democratic Town Committee, Justice of the Peace, and sled hockey player to help me to screw down the sub floor on a porch renovation. I cut and glued the plywood sheets and Andrew used the collated screw gun to secure them.  We always enjoy working together but he tends to be busy and on the road a lot.

Those readers with sharp eyes and good memories will recall the reading and writing nook behind Andrew was shown in my early 2011 posts. At that time the walls were rough studs and the floors were rough pine boards.  The picture below shows what the area looked like before the columns were painted. The floor is solid 9/16 bamboo from the Cali Bamboo company in California. It's a great material to work with and hard as nails.

A system of ramps incorporated into the porch at the back of our home makes it possible for Andrew to easily access the house.  The main floor of the house, a raised ranch, has a rise from the driveway of 108 inches. This summer we have finally got around to making the ramp system more refined. The area over the bamboo is covered with triple wall clear Lexan. Fifty-five windows low enough to provide a view from a wheelchair surround the structure. The windows were purchased at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore for a fraction of the cost of retail.  

 The ramps, with a switchback on the lower level connect to a pool deck and, via a glass enclosed breezeway, to a detached garage with an automatic overhead door.  So AJ can drive in and enter the house in comfort regardless of the weather, or stop half way and take a swim with us in the summer.

Most of my forays into accessible housing have been long on function and short on aesthetics.  As I read more about universal design I find ways to make the house work for everyone and be attractive too.