Ep 126: Bugout Home Update

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Sorry I haven’t had a chance to publish much on the net lately. It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks with several long drives. Anyway, I wanted to give you an update on what I’ve been doing, and I’ve been VERY busy.

Since I finished teaching in mid June, I’ve been focusing my efforts on the bugout house.

Some of the things I’ve done in just over one week:

Used a reciprocating saw and a grinder to cut down the old chain-link fence that surrounded the back yard and was infiltrated with shrubs–cut down about 200 feet of fence, fence post and steel.
Dug up accompanying shrubs and bushes that were in-grown in the fence.
Painted three rooms (ceilings and walls)
Attacked and destroyed (and rebuilt) the closets from Hades
Cut the grass–actually enjoyed that one
Took out 15 bags of building trash
Removed two cabinets and donated them
Removed a toilet
Brought in tile guys to tile the master bath
Cut down one tree and removed/cut down three tree stumps
Began demo-ing old fire pit
Assembled modern brass fire ring
Planted numerous pepper and tomato plants
Tended to asparagus and horseradish
Made contact to haul-in fill/dirt in back yard
Attended nephew’s graduation party
Re-lined the bath and kitchen with cardboard to protect the tiled floors

Some of the things worth discussing with you:

Never throw out cardboard when working on a big project. Cardboard is absolutely the best floor protectant. The multiple layers of paper protect floors from contractors, dirt, and falling objects. Remember, dropping materials on tile breaks them.
Paint: If you are considering selling your house in the near future or want THE BEST neutral color for your house that everybody loves…go with RELAXED KHAKI. It is by far the most amazing color. It’s made by Sherwin Williams and any paint company can take their swatch and match the paint. Trust me–it’s amazing. Swiss coffee
Also, if you’re painting for yourself–consider soothing colors in bedrooms. Think relaxing. I think oragne, red, and black are horrible colors for bedrooms.
I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: DO NOT TAKE UP THE CARPET IN A ROOM YOU ARE ABOUT TO PAINT. LEAVE THE OLD CARPET DOWN AND USE IT AS A DROPCLOTH. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE TEAR UP A CARPET, INSTALL NEW FLOORING, COVER IT, AND THEN PAINT THE WALLS OR DO REPAIRS IN THE ROOM. IT MAKES NO SENSE.
Another point on paint: taping off walls can be a pain. A steady hand and a trim brush may be a better option.
Don’t wait until old trees die. If you know a tree is going (or you’re going to remove it) plant its replacement so its ready to take over and it already has a head start in/near the same spot.
I’ve spent three days in one bedroom. Stripping, cleaning, prepping, spackling, priming, painting…the window sills were horrible and the closets were filthy. the old people who lived here did NOTHING to take care of this house. We’ve spent so much time on things that would never need to be done if they did the basic maintenance on the house…shame on them for letting leaks ruin wood, paint crack on the walls, and shrubs become forests.

My show is about many things, and today, prepping wasn’t one of them. Don’t worry, though. I’ll have some prepping goodies for you in the near future.

Until then, hang in there.

Dan

Ep 126_Bugout House Update