Woodworking

All of my projects are undertaken not simply as a "money-maker" or as a "money-saver." It is more a sense of pride, a sense of taking
something run-down and making it beautiful and special. Folks can't believe that I would ever sell this home after all the effort, but like
every journey the goal is not the finish line, it is the journey itself. The pride in knowing that I built something beautiful will be with me
forever. It will also be preserved here in these pages.

I have always built things to excess, i.e. giving more than was required into each project. Some say that this is a "perfectionistic flaw"
but I like to think that wherever my hands have been they leave the world better than before. All of my projects reflect this underlying
characteristic: I don't do things quickly for profit. I do them perfectly so that the quality is there. Unfortunately, this is not the way most
projects are done anymore, and our world reflects this "throw-away" mentality.

Scottsdale Home Remodel - known as "The Never-Ending Project," I have gutted, rebuilt, rewired, refinished, and just in general put
my hands into ever single square inch of this home. I did 90% of the work myself, hiring contractors only when absolutely necessary. I
got a total of 4 permits for this remodel, so everything was 100% legit and done to perfection. I bought this home for $170k and is
now estimated value of nearly $450k. Total costs of remodel are under $75k because I have done so much of the work myself. For
example, by building all cabinets and vanities and doing all tile work, I have probably saved about $30k just right there. I can't
measure the # of hours put into this home. Thousands of hours over a 4-year period. But the sense of "quality" that you feel upon
entering is unmistakable, and makes all the effort worthwhile.

Project highlights include:
-Ripped out the existing air-conditioning ducts in order to raise the ceilings. Put "flex duct" through the attic with drop-downs into each
room. New AC/Gas pack on the roof is 16 seer and quiet.
-Ripped out several walls to change a small kitchen, dining room, and living room into one big "Great Room" and added an 8-foot
French Door leading out to the patio.
-Ripped out a wall and moved plumbing to double the size of the Master Bath. Installed a Jacuzzi Tub.
-Removed all "popcorn" ceilings and "orange peel" walls and refinished all surfaces with "knock-down" texture. Installed recessed
lighting and ceiling fans throughout. New doors and mouldings throughout. Satin Nickel hinges and knobs throughout. Two-tone paint
throughout.
-Completely rewired home. New electrical box is 200Amps from the original 100Amps, and brought all rooms up to code. Dedicated
lines for each appliance, each room, and GFCI circuits for each bathroom, each power supply near water; like in the kitchen, jacuzzi,
pool light, etc.
-Changed every window in the home to thick double-pane UV-coated glass and added beautiful plantation shutters
- Changed electric stove and oven to a gas stove and oven. Added gas for the laundry room appliances. Put a dedicated gas line
outside for the grill. Gas heater for the pool.
-All new Stainless steel appliances throughout.
-Built all kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities. Did all tile work on floors, walls, vanity countertops, and jacuzzi tub. Hired contractor
to install granite on the kitchen counters and backsplash. Put quality Berber carpets in every bedroom.
-Hired contractor to Stucco the exterior of the home, and another to replace the roof with "staggered" roofing shingles
-Removed trees and built 4 rockgardens in the front yard with boulders and crushed stone. Planted cactus so the front yard is
"zero-scape" i.e. needs no watering
-Extensive backyard remodel. Removed 3 large trees, huge section of patio, removed crushed stone, removed broken jacuzzi that
had been filled in; installed sprinkler system, and planted grass. Built large wooden patio cover to replace flimsy plastic cover.
Painted exterior property-line wall with high quality outdoor primer and finish. Installed 8 Ficus around the perimeter, and a 3-foot
border of crushed stone enclosed by brick. Changed outdated swimming pool from "cap tile style" to the more modern "cantilever
edge style," refinished pool, replaced filter, kool-decking on all exterior concrete surfaces. Had custom iron gates built, decorated
each with custom wood finish. Put custom wood finish on ceiling of patio cover.

Be careful and alert at all times....

This is the result of a momentary lapse in
concentration combined with a poor decision. I
was using a 1/16 roundover bit on my table
router, trying to smooth the edge on a very large
face frame. The frame was for the laundry room,
and was about 3 feet by 8 feet. Something that
large should have been placed on a work bench,
and I should have taken the few minutes
necessary to use the portable router. But I was
hot and tired, having been in a 110-degree
garage for over 8 hours. This was the last step I
needed to do before doing a final sanding and
calling it a day. As it turns out, while awkwardly
trying to maneuver the large frame, my hand
slipped and went into the spinning router. Stupid.
But lucky.

Though the wound looks bad in this pic, it was
actually only "callouse" that was removed, and a
bit of fingernail, and everything grew back
perfectly. Lucky- this time. If that were a 1/4 inch
round-over bit, or something even larger, I'd be
on my way to the hospital with a permanent
deformity.