A Garden Fence During Covid-19 Distancing

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A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get the go ahead from the property owner where I garden with my neighbors, to build a fence to stop the increasingly destructive deer from eating all of my vegetables. The owner had some requirements, and I was happy to incorporate his fantastic ideas. I had an assistant who, like me was off of work and isolating at home due to the virus — he may appear in some photos, we share a love of gardening. Personally gardening is a passion that was ignited for me by my father on one side and a grandmother on the other. My dad came from a farming family that worked in other industries, but somehow couldn’t shake the gardening. It was he and my grandmother who started to teach me about it, and of course, I STILL have an awful lot to learn.

The fence though, that is one I originally designed from the remains of an old deck for another property owner some years back. I’m also building one at my own house, but that is a larger project that I may include in a separate entry. This fence however, in Takoma Park, MD is my newest baby. The owner required that we not use pressure treated lumber for which I was grateful (pressure treated lumber burns the skin and is unpleasant to work with). We instead, fire treated the posts that would be set below ground. This was the owner’s requirement, and the idea was to implement the Japanese technique Shou-sugi-ban to preserve the wood. Clearly our objective was functional, and not as a finish in this application. When the fence was completed, it was finished with linseed oil.

As you can see in the photos, we first laid out the posts per the owner’s sizing requirements, digging each hole with a post-hole shovel. We then were able to mortise the posts and rails as needed to provide additional support. After setting the posts solidly in minimal concrete so they can one day be removed/replaced (we also used some other tricks for strengthening the posts and allowing the holes proper drainage), we installed the top and bottom rails. Then we installed the 7’ deer netting and finally, we made the door out of cedar wood and installed it.

I can happily say that none of the materials we used to make the fence made me itch or sneeze — so thank you to the owner! The deer netting is a practical solution to protect your garden without spending a fortune. Just because it is plastic though, doesn’t mean that it has to be totally ugly!


Adding Value With Restoration

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Do any of your windows, or windows in a house you’re considering purchasing look like this? Years of slapdash paint, untimely maintenance and unskilled repairs can age otherwise perfectly good windows. Even so, the quality of the wood and joint construction in this client’s windows preserved them despite nearly every attempt by previous owners to destroy them. Salvaging features with old lead paint by employing EPA certified lead-safe renovation practices for the safety of residents and workers is an option. While paint stripping can be costly, it can be accomplished with adequate precautions and patience. Paint can otherwise be stabilized and sealed properly in conjunction with repairs that will get windows, doors and their jambs operational again. Below are some pictures of rope changing, changing glass, re-balancing weights and re-glazing. While not all old windows are good candidates for restoration over replacement, it usually can be accomplished under the cost of new windows and therefore can be a considerable savings when calculating which home projects to tackle first. If the majority of your doors or windows are generally in good shape and were of good quality to begin with, restoration is worth looking into before deciding on replacements. If your house is full of nice solid wood old doors for instance, you should consider restoring those holes that previous owner drilled through every one of them so he could rent it to college students. Are the doors not quite functioning properly? This too can be repaired to make them operational and working smoothly — contact me for a consultation.

 

Superficial Plaster and Trim Restoration

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Earlier this summer I completed a painting project that required considerable plaster and trim restoration. It was not as extensive as some, still it was more work than an average paint job. My clients bought an old house (my favorite sort) in NW DC and the painting in it had been slapdash for at least three decades which created considerable extra work, and nearly destroyed their modest but quality interior trim. We needed to seal off each area and turn off the HVAC during the prep phases of each area to avoid the migration of dust from the mess we were making. You can see our set-up below for the plaster repair high above the main staircase. The last painters had spent only four hours slapping paint on unprepped and buckling plaster, it was necessary to really remove the old loose plaster and seal the sound plaster beneath really well before patching. The result was a clean, sharp looking paint job that highlighted the original woodwork and did justice to the big and beautiful Takoma house.

Vinegar-Pickled Oak Floor

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The oak floors in this foreclosure where tight thanks to their quality installation 70 or so years ago, but numerous holes from heating system changes that had in many cases not been repaired well, made these floors a challenge even before walls were moved to open the space up. Sure enough, years of neglect had dealt the floors some stains that couldn’t be removed with sanding. So we made the best vinegar pickle we could, and in it found the solution to the irregularities. This was a very fun project that was really rewarding to see the reaction of the pickling with the oak’s tannins. I completed these floors early last fall in Pennsylvania, my client loves them.

Just Finishing a Vinyl-Chip Epoxy Floor

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I have been having so much fun with this floor in Pennsylvania. You can cover up all kinds of bad flooring with epoxy chip, and you can get creative while you're at it. It's best used where a solid, easy-to-clean surface is desirable for areas that need the extra durability. Technically developed for concrete, this system if properly applied can adhere to many surfaces. Here it's just perfect for the mudroom. It's been snowy and now muddy in PA, but I wrapped it up today with the topcoat and here are some pics.

Reclaimed Lumber

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I see that I've waited too long to write more, no doubt you've all been waiting for my next riveting details:) I just finished a really fun reclaimed lumber flooring project! I'm not going to lie and tell you that it was a piece of cake, but I loved nearly every minute of it and the results are well worth the effort. First, my brave and adventurous client Butch decided that he definitely wanted the old oak -- saw marks and all. Then we ordered the tongue and groove flooring from Kentucky Kreations, a reclaimed lumber product fabricator out of Kentucky, and after it was delivered the fun began. The boards were varying widths 3-4-5" and sorting and laying them out took longer than some more standard flooring. Given Butch's requirements, I selected a sustainable finish from Vermont Coatings that is both hard and flexible as well as low-VOC, and I also decided to biscuit-route the ends of the flooring to make it as strong as possible. After the flooring was installed there was a lot of character and patina just naturally remaining in the old barn wood for me to enhance with the clear coat. I decided to take it a step further and reinforce any knots or checks with dyed epoxy to enhance the wood's history and frankly, stunning beauty. The result is truly amazing and I can't wait to upload more pictures as I have them. I'm thrilled to be working with old wood again, and with an entire floor to really spread it out across -- I couldn't be happier.

Hi There, Here’s My Bio

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Hi there. My name is Lauren Noel and after fifteen years of working in various construction trades, I've started my own business. It has been an interesting and somewhat unconventional journey that brought me to this point. I began as many do, as a painter and floor refinisher while still in school. I was at Penn State working on my BA in art history, when I got a job fixing up old houses for a real estate company. I have always been curious about how things are constructed and what makes different building elements actually physically work together. Also, it was clear then that an office career was not one for me. So I kept reading about art and architecture, and started learning how to paint houses and refinish floors and woodwork. After that, I did considerable work on churches for Ringler Restoration in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I spent a lot of time on scaffolding. From there I got into high-end finishing at a custom cabinetry and millwork shop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then into tile-setting and wood-work restoration in San Francisco, California. I have worked at facilities as well as residences both large and small. I consider my construction experience to be well-rounded, though it is true that I have specialized in the finish trades. I have not escaped the rigors of demolition, framing, substrate stabilization and construction however, and my estimates are comprehensive and informative tools that I use as work orders for most of my projects. And yes, I do drywall and yes I'm EPA lead certified.