April 23, 2012

 It feels like lots has happened since our last blog post, so I'll try to get you up to date.  Last week, Tony and the guys spent a day cleaning the craft cabin and bathroom.  Then Tim and the guys blocked off the opening between the two so that the bathroom can be used from the outside.  Jerod was here plastering the craft cabin, so Tim was able to use some of Jerod's plaster to finish the wall on both sides.

 After the craft cabin (above) was clean, Karol touched up the walls with paint.  Then Tim and Jerod used a self leveling concrete product on the floor.  The floor was very unlevel, it had a large crack and it had a lot of glue residue from old carpeting.  This product addressed all of these issues.  Now we will be able to use the concrete dye and clear finish for this space.

 Last Saturday we had a well attended work day. We had a group of 5 from Concordia College, a group from Risen Hope Church in Random Lake, and the Able Church.  Many projects were completed.  I have photos of some.  Above:  primer and paint in the Trapline Lodge dorm room.  Also painted were the bath in Trapline and the newly plastered walls in the Nature Center.

 Jerod spent some time on Friday preparing the side of Molly's house for cedar shakes.  He put on the metal flashing so that this group could trim the windows and start with the shakes.  Another job accomplished, was the installation of the exterior lights flanking Molly's front door.

 One of the jobs that the Able Group worked on was raking out areas that need grass seed spread.  The photo above shows DJ and Crystal raking away!

 We took advantage of the good weather by assembling the bunk beds outside of the Trapline Lodge.  After assembly, they were sanded.

 The playground area needed the encroaching grass pulled out and fresh sand brought in.  They were working so fast, that by the time I got there to take a picture, everyone was gone! Another project to check off the list was one that Tim Bazet-Jones finished.  The gable ends of the Trapline lodge were still needing the angled corbel/bracket pieces.  There were 10 in all to do.  This was one of those jobs that no one really wanted to tackle; mostly because of the very tall ladder required and the feared "double angle" that needed to be figured out to get the bracket to fit.   Tim took on the challenge and did a great job of it.

Tony and the Able group worked in a few specific areas of the grounds where water drainage is an issue. They dug out the grass and dirt and put in strategically placed swells with extra drainage to keep some of the runoff water under control.

And finally......Sunday after church Crystal moved in!!  Yea.  We have been waiting a long time, but the day did finally come.  Crystal and Molly are both working at getting her settled in.

April 13, 2012

 So here's the last set of pics from DJ's house.  This is Jen and Marceaux's bathroom.  Like DJ's bath, it received minor updates that have a big impact.  We replaced the sink top, sink base, lighting, and mirror.
We also painted the walls, and added a bank of cabinets for some much needed storage.

 The above left photo was from prior to the purchase.  We changed the wall between the living room and kitchen.

 We added lighting, oak posts and a half wall where there had been a full wall.  There will be a 14" deep wood counter at this wall.  It will have 3 or 4 counter stools.  We changed all of the lighting in the kitchen, and replaced the countertops.

 Here's the beginning stages in the garage.  We laid plastic, then 2" foam, then plywood.

 The following pics show the progression of change in Jen and Marceaux' room.

We did install carpeting in the entire garage area including the hallway and stairs leading to the garage end of the house.  The trim and doors are in as well as plenty of shelving in the closets.  Of course, there's just too much stuff to show it all!  So you'll have to come for a visit and see it all first hand.  DJ is a very proud landlord, and loves to show it off!!

Monday, April 9 2012

This blog is the continuation of photos of the remodel of DJ's house.  During the process we were blessed to have help from others.  Jerod Kostreva has continued to help two days a week.  He and Tim did all of the plastering.  Jen's parents and helped helped out a few days.  We had a work day on April 4.  Bonnie Blakely and her daughter Natalie came from Green Bay for the day, and Jen's mom brought Amanda Schuessler as well.  The ladies not only helped Jen pack and move a bunch of stuff, but they were also very thorough in their cleaning of the pantry and kitchen.  They also took on the job of cleaning the new vinyl floor in the living room.  It just looked dusty, but 6 scrubbings later proved that the job was a big one!  Thank you to all! 

As you can see these photos are of the living room.  The top pic is what it looked like before the closing.  Part of the wall between the living room and the old master bedroom was taken out to accommodate the new entry and hallway leading to the garage.  The carpet was pulled up.  All of the moldings were removed, and the ceiling was scraped.  Then the whole space was replastered.

The photo above shows fresh paint on the walls and ceiling, and the new floor complete in the living room, but not yet done in the entry.  The photo below shows the finished moldings and furniture.  The TV was not yet hung above the fireplace.

The is the other end of the living room.  This wall shows probably the most important change to this end of the house.  The front door was originally located in this room.  The entry consisted of a 3' by 3' piece of tile.  The other door that you see was also moved.  This door leads to DJ's bedroom.  It was moved around the corner where there's a little hallway space with the door that leads to the bath and to the other bedroom.  This makes much more sense, because with the room in it's original state there were more doorways than wall space!

Above is the before of the bathroom.

We painted the walls and ceiling, got a new mirror and storage cabinet above the toilet and a new sink top.  The gray, black and oak is very masculine.

April 3, 2012

 So it's been 10 wks since DJ bought his home.  We've been working like crazy trying to get the remodel done by the first of April.  Here's the first installment of the before and after photos.  DJ and the Bury's officially moved in today!  Of course, there's still some things that need finished, but we're very proud and excited of the job done.  They deserve the best, and it was our job at Camp Daniel to make sure that we gave them the best we could.  The pic above shows the original exterior.  Notice in the second photo that the door moved to where the farthest left window was.

 We also changed the shutters from burgundy to green, and painted the new front door to match.  New exterior lighting was added.  The old stairs were reconfigured, and the deck area made larger.  The first section of the ramp is in and you can see the second two sections laying flat on the ground.  The ramp was from Tony's grandpa Bruette.  It's been laying around Camp Daniel for many years, so we're happy to see it put to use.  That's a lot of lumber!  The patio area joins the stairs and the ramp, and was made from a small amount of landscaping block that was also donated.  The deck will be u shaped and the area in the middle of it will be planted with existing plants and a tree that we still need to purchase.

 The above photo and the ones following are the same shot.  It's the original master bedroom and it's window.  The window was taken out, and replaced with the new front door.  So what was the bedroom, is now the entry/mudroom.  In the photo below you can see the backside of the fireplace.  The tv hangs above it, so Tony had the idea to wire the sound, video, etc thru this area.  He built a cubby in the dead space above the firebox.

 This is about how the area looks now, except that there's hooks to the left of the door.  There will eventually be a built in bench area below the cubby doors for shoes, etc.

 This is the same master bedroom, just from the other angle

   The above So the entry is much smaller than the original bedroom.  The door on the right leads to a large walk in closet to be used for coats and misc. storage items.  Part of the bedroom also turned into the doorway to the garage and the hall leading to it.

This last photo is straight across from the front door.  Nick, Richard and Brian wanted to give DJ, Jen and Marceaux a housewarming gift, so they bought the vinyl saying on the wall "For we walk by faith, not by sight.", and in the background on the right, you can see a collage frame with pictures of their Camp Daniel family.