ChickenJack's House of Chicken, Jack. » Fixing

Mowing

Chickenjack — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 18:49:49 +0000

I hate it. I really REALLY hate it.

I think that my problem, besides my inherent laziness, is that I have yet to set up some sort of system that I can stick to. I usually get to it when it is starting to get out of control and it just takes too much freaking time. It doesn’t help that the whole thing, besides the small front and back fenced in portions, is really poorly leveled and it is a pain to run the mower over it. Oh, and blackberry bushes are the bane of homeowners everywhere. I have no idea what the previous homeowners were thinking trying to cultivate the cursed things. My jihad continues and the battle has been a bloody one.

Speaking of yard stuff, I am thinking that I am going to put up a retaining wall below my front yard to the street level. This would serve several purposes. First, it would get rid of the unmowable slope viewable from the street that makes the place look more crack-housesque than it absolutely has to. Second it would give me 30 or so more square feet of yard while leveling that whole side out. Third, and most importantly, it would just look cool. Problem is, I have no idea where to start this whole process. I have a good idea on what kind of stone I want to use:

http://www.mutualmaterials.com/Homeowner_product.asp?pt_id=64&p_id=264

This stuff is pretty neat. It pretty much fits together like LEGOs, well, huge stone LEGOs that will fall and kill your dog if you mess it up, but the same kind of concept. No mortar required, just gravity, friction, good intentions and foul language. The reason I am really leaning toward these kinds of blocks is I want to be able to do this myself and not hire a mason. Besides their secret involvement in the “Pentaverate” that controls all the media and the government and the mind control rays, I am assuming that a days worth of Mason’s time will be entirely too costly for such a project.

The finished product that I envision will be pretty, of that I am sure, but methinks it will also be a bit pricey, even if done myself. To add to that, considering that this thing will be around 9 feet high on one end and probably around 6 on the other, I am also going to have an engineer sketch up plans before I can get permits to set it up. “Where does one get an engineer that will sketch the thing up?” one may ask. Good freaking question. I’m sure I have no idea. I think today after work, I am going to walk to the stone supply place across from the dome and chat with those guys. I am placing bets on whether or not they look at me like I am crazy. “You wanna do WUT?” I KNOW that this is a commonplace thing, but every time I mention doing something that I have seen on a hundred homes, it’s like I am inventing something new.

Also the thought of ordering several TONS of material is a bit daunting.

All in all, I am filing this as a long term plan that will probably not get done this year. I have other things that are much higher on my priority list (hardwoodish floors for instance, undorking my basement for another instance, the reading area/backyard plan thing that occurred to me the other day for a third instance) but this is nice to think about.

I promise to get some pics up this weekend. Well, I promise if I don’t forget to put pictures up, I will put pictures up. How’s that? It’s not like this is being read by the slavering masses, dying to know what happens next in the “Chickenjack House Odyssey (which will air next week on Sci-Fi btw. I think they got Renee O’Connor from Xena: Warrior Princess to play my roommate.) My brother (Who looks nothing like Renee O’Connor. Hey man!) is probably wondering what the heck my house actually looks like. THAT is my motivation.

Here’s the thing about head-butting contests,

Chickenjack — Mon, 12 Jun 2006 13:56:57 +0000

Trees excel at them.

Lets just say that the tree won.

On that note, I would highly recommend the Black and Decker Grass Hog for your light weed-eating needs. I wanted an electric trimmer for several reasons, but I was afraid that this thing would be too wimpy. It workes great and made short work of my…um…neglected yard. Just watch for low hanging branches when you are on your second or so hour of trimming.

And the walls came a tumblin dooooooown

Chickenjack — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 17:38:27 +0000

I am tearing down my chimney. Saying it that way sends shudders down my spine. Thoughts of being smacked in the noggin by a stray piece of cinderblock certainly factors in my fear. Also on the list are:

This freaking thing runs through the center of my house from basement to roof.

I am going to have to tear out some walls to get to the thing.

I am going to have to learn to sheetrock.

It is going to be MESSY.

Can you say, “Hole in the roof?”

I wonder if there is GOLD in there somewhere…

I wonder if there is a dead (insert something dead and ooky here) in there somewhere…

Anyway, I am having AM (My roommates dad and the master of all things fixy come take a look at it this weekend to see if I am crazy for attempting this. He and a fellow I used to work with seem to think that this will be a hard job, but not a difficult job. Gobot seems to think otherwise. Of course, I think he is just mad he can’t stab the thing down.

Pics of the old installation to follow.

A fan in every attic

Chickenjack — Mon, 01 May 2006 17:41:47 +0000

Okay, we will start the actual show with some research things I am doing. I know that I keep the place cool this summer. Armed with my crack knowledge of life in the south and our various methods of not dying due to heat-stroke and heat related injuries, I have decided that an attic fan may fit the bill nicely. I also would like to put ceiling fans up in all the rooms of the house, but being a craftsman style, most of my ceilings have wonky angles or just aren’t high enough.

When mentioning attic fans to people in the northwest, one usually gets reactions similar to those one would get when offering a stranger a fried weasel, slightly disconcerted, panicky, and not at all hungry. No one here really knows what an attic fan is or does. I must do some research on the interwebs to find out what to look for and what I need.

One thing I have noticed so far is that I am ACTUALLY thinking of what is called a “whole house fan” rather than just an attic fan. I think that some combination of both may be in order. Maybe my extensive case-cooling expertise will come into play… Although the attic fan will go VERY nicely in the hole where the chimney is now.