Cognitive Disconense

Do you remember the term "cognitive disconense" from your college psychology 101 class?  The prime example given is when you purchase an item such as an automobile that you continue to seek out data to make certain that you made the proper decision.

The set of chairs that I purchased a few weeks back for $69 per chair was a binge purchase.  But, I really loved the lines and scale of the chairs and took the plunge.

Restoration Hardware, 18th Century French Burlap Chair

$1495



Consignment shop $69 jewel

  Translation, I have been psychologically been put at ease by the knowledge that the style chair is popular enough for Restoration Hardware to reproduce, as well as the fact that a recent addition of "Architectural Digest" featured the homes of Rob Lowe and T. Boone Pitkins and both of them had similar chairs in their homes.

Let me just pat myself on the back ;^)

Pine Kitchen Cabinets and Appliances For Sale @ Re-Build 4 November

This appears to be a well cared for set of Kraftmaid, solid pine kitchen cabinets with a laminate counter top and Maytag stove and dishwasher that came out of a house in McLean, VA this past week.  They have for sale fourteen (14) pieces total for the asking price of $3,000.

One of my friends thinks that his in-laws could use a replacement kitchen cabinet set and I am posting for his benefit.

But, for those others who view and read.  This is an example of what you might find at Re-Build or any one of the other local re-use warehouse stores in the DC metro area.

If I had a country cabin, these would look warm and splendid with a swap out of hardware to an aged copper and a stone counter top to match the reddish shade of the pine.

House Project: Back Door (future project)



View from sun porch into house after refrigerator removal (current double doors)



Double mahogany doors procured to replace 1983 metal & glass doors



Once again, "I did not get out alive" from Re-Build.  They had these wonderful solid mahogany exterior double doors that came into the warehouse yesterday afternoon (donated from a home owner in McLean).

I immediately placed them on-hold (you snooze you lose when it comes to this style of shopping).  Pulled out my note pad, measuring tape and camera and got all of the vitals that I needed to take home with me to make a proper determination if the doors were the proper size for the door frame or not.

As you can see the exterior sides of the doors are carved and weathered.  Translation, sanding, oiling and some protective finish will be required.  Also, the homeowner decided to keep all of the hardware for their replacement door.  Therefore, I will need to find hardware suitable for this particular set of doors at a later date.

The interior side of the eight (8) panel doors is actually in decent shape and has a traditional look.  Though, most doors only have two (2) to six (6) panels.  Eight (8) panels is rather unique in design, as is the carving; which is why I was attracted to them.

There will be the trade-off of less light in the kitchen and den area.  Though the option is to just open the blinds a bit more during the daytime to let in more day light.

The benefit, I hope, is that these solid wood doors without glass should be more energy efficient than the original 1983 builder's metal and single pane glass double doors.

As far as design and color scheme, the mahogany is a wonderful addition to the Indonesian hardwood sun porch set that I already have in place.

This particular refinishing and replacement of the rear doors project is something that will have to take place after the man cave/library project is completed. 

Why?

As of this AM, my dining room, den and living room are littered with the library cabinets and shelving that Re-Build staff delivered this morning.  It is going to be a monumental task just to get all of the books out of the basement and upstairs in order to remove the carpet, clean, put down new tile and paint the walls, etc. 

Stay tuned for a later posting when this project gets underway.

Annual Far Hills Benefit Horse Races - The Hunt



L-R:  Jon, Sal, John & Bruce


One of my friends has been hosting an annual outing to The Hunt in Fall Hills, NJ since the mid 1990's.  Proceeds from the ticket and private tail gate slot sales are contributed to Somerset Medical Center Foundation is a non-profit organization that solicits and administers funds on behalf of Somerset Medical Center, in Somerville, New Jersey.

Our first year of attendance, it was raining, cold and muddy and we were newbies who did not realize that having a paid slot closer to the rail and a small buffet of food to nosh on during the day was the way to go.

A view of the rail from behind our buffet

Since that time, my friend's family business has annually procured multiple rental spots a row away from the rail.  We all buy our individual admission tickets and then contribute for the spread of food and drink.

There have been many a year that in spite of the day being bright and sunny, previous day(s) of rain, have muddied the grounds and made for a muck festival with slipping and sliding of humans and vehicles.  This year we were spared the mud.  Hurrah!

Unlike Virginia Steeple Chase Races, The Hunt is not held during a time of the year that is advantageous to sun dresses, hats and dress shoes, etc.  Over the years, I have noticed that the attire for the day has become more in tune with the late October weather and a potential day of walking among muddy fields.  Denim jeans and rubber stable boots and/or wellies were the staple footwear at this year's event.

Fence Project: O'Dea-O'Dea

The Fence Project was put into motion as of Saturday, 30 October.  The first day consisted of rental of a gas auger and a manual post digger to accomplish the tasks of digging seven (7) 3' deep holes on my property line to place the seven (7) post.  Three foot holes were required, as I want the privacy fence to be at the maximum height allowed by the county of seven feet (7') high.

My next door neighbor's project only required two (2) post holes at 2' deep for his dog pen project that will have six foot (6') high fence ends sandwiched between the existing fence and their deck.

The second day consisted of not two (2), but (3) trips to Home Depot for supplies of wood, cement, hanger brackets and treated deck screws.

Sunday, prior to sundown, we had all of the post in the ground with cement setting.  Plus, all of the top rails of the privacy fence on my property were cut and installed, as well as the middle and lower rails of one section for me to use as a sample to finish the remainder of the project on my own.

Another Friday Re-Build purchase included solid cedar, decorative post caps.  They truly make a difference on the finished appearance of the post.  I am now pondering as to whether or not the linear foot cost of use of a decorative rail top to the fence would be cost prohibitive or not. 

Cedar Post Cap

Might look much more finished and professional than the plain, straight top board finish.  But, the jury is still out on budget ($).

I will post photos later.

Hallway Chandelier Replacement Project

Current, builder's original, single lamp hall chandelier

Replacement, multi-lamp chandelier

Another story of me not getting out of Re-Build "
alive". 

The original, builder's chandelier in the entryway is the only overhead light in the living area and with one lamp barely provides much in terms of illumination.  Plus, it is dull and pretty chintzy in appearance and construction, as is the dining chandelier.

The Re-Build Representatives response to my inquiry as to the cost of the heavy, large colonial glass chandelier  price was "Would you be taking it with you now or coming back for it later?"

It cost me $40 to take it with me Friday PM, along with my load of slate patio pavers. 

Though the chandelier road shot gun in the cab protected with a heavy packing blanket to provide safe passage home.

This is a future project and will require some additional length of brass chain, clear electrical wiring and copper ground wire prior to installation.

Library Project Materials Selections: Stove, Drapes, Tile & Upholstry

Selections of some of the materials for the Library Project:

To include Vermont Castings, Radiance gas burning stove in enamel biscuit color with addition of warming racks and mitten dryer hooks.



Vermont Castings Radiance Gas Stove - on floor @ Re-Build

 Mount Vernon style pattern toile cotton drapes with silk plaid print accent boarder and lining shown below along with Daltile, 12"x12" smaller neutral shaded tile shown on right.  Fabric upholstery of chairs is a matching blue, as is the blue leather, older Chesterfield sofa.


Drapes, chair upholstery and tile (selected more neutral small tile)




Color is truer in this photo for tile and drapes







Sample of base cabinets

 Paint, to-be-determined: 
More than likely selection will also be somewhat neutral and due to the fact that the basement room in question only has two basement sized windows, a lighter shade will be selected.

Library Project at O'Dea-O'Dea

It was a jam packed weekend, as I was working with my neighbor Saturday and Sunday on the fence project for our property line.  Plus, I went into Re-Build Friday PM to begin the process of picking up the two pallets of large slate paving stones and hauling them home in my truck, etc.

Once again, I did not get out alive, so to speak.  But, I count this as a good thing, as I do believe that I finally have the cabinet and shelving components to re-do the main man cave, a.k.a. the basement library. 



View of custom built library prior to being removed from private residence

The procurement consists of 11 pieces and most are shown above. 

I also purchased two very large, three drawer matching custom units that are larger than commercially made file cabinets.

My current estimate is that the top shelving units are approx. 15" too high for the less than 8' floor to ceiling height in the basement.  But, I am optimistic, that as these were custom built, that there should not be any issues reducing the height by removing some of the top and a little more from the bottom of each shelving unit. (note, top crown moulding was not included.)

One very tall shelving unit will be placed upstairs in the front of the living room (not shown).  It is 8'10" and roughly 32" wide.  The only space that it can occupy in the house is the front room, as it is sunken and has a vaulted ceiling that extends to the roof.

Actually, in terms of scale, I believe this will be a welcome addition, as the walls are very high in this room and yet I do not have any items that are tall within the space.

From the same Great Falls estate, that is being dismantled, Re-Build had a Vermont Castings, Radiance gas stove in enamel biscuit and included the added side warming shelves.  This I purchased as the basement is cool or cold year round, in spite of central air and it only makes sense to heat the space during cold months as needed.

Vermont Castings Radiance Gas Stove with Warming Shelves

It is going to be one difficult project given the amount of "stuff" in the basement and the fact that all of the carpet has to be removed and flooring replaced.  Plus, the walls will require cleaning and painting.  This is just the tip of the iceberg, I am sure.

Rough dimensions of the space are 25' x 16' for the main section and at the base of the stairs the hallway area is approx. 5'x6'.  Translation a heck of a lot of flooring material will be required for this project.  Thus, I quickly made the determination to go with a Daltile porcelain tile in neutral colors that Home Depot currently has on special for 77 cents per square foot, as I estimate that this project will require at least 380 square feet of material.

I already have a blue, leather Chesterfield sofa that I have had for years that will be moved down stairs once the room is completed, as well as two new sets of cotton toile custom drapes that are full length.

Recent purchase of the two antique arm chairs manufactured in Cambridge, MA will make residence along with the sofa.

Stay tuned as the project gets underway and the man cave and library  is transformed into the catwoman cave and library.

MeOw!

Latest Editions to My Library & Gifts to Others

I purchased the following two books:

• "Mid-Atlantic Gardener's Guide:  Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.", by Andre and Mark Viette with Jacqueline Heriteau.
• National Georgaphic, "50 Best Girlfriend Getaways in North America", by Marybeth Bond.

Gifts from my sister to me:

• "Manual for Living:  Epictetus", A New Intrepretation by Sharon Lebell.
• "Mamma Mia!:  The Movie Soundtrack Featuring the Songs of ABBA.

Gifts to my cat lady neighbor, who cared for the fur children while I was away for an extended weekend trip up north:

• "Cat Biz: A Compendium of Amazing Facts and Anecdotes from the Cat World", by  Amanda O'Neill
• (Scanned through this cat book the evening before I presented it to her.  Fascinating facts and stories, etc.)

• "The Boston Globe Illustrated New England Seafood Cookbook", by Jasper White