Oswego Bathroom Renovation
February 28, 2010 by Neil
Filed under Bathroom Remodeling, Remodeling Projects
We just recently wrapped up a bathroom remodel in Oswego. The picture to the right is a before shot I took on the day we started. The bathroom is very small (only 4′ x 10′) but it still has a full shower, vanity and toilet. We also managed to find space for a utility cabinet next to the toilet when it was done. The new shower is a combination of slate and porcelain tiles. The shelves in the shower are made of solid slate – really cool. The shower has a custom base to best use the space available. The shower door is a frame-less glass door using glue chip glass to give some privacy to the shower. The new vanity is from Fieldstone Cabinetry and is made of cherry. It was customized to make it shallower than a standard vanity to increase the floor space of the room. The countertop and the shower threshold are a variety of granite that closely resembles soapstone. The sink is stainless steel. All the plumbing fixtures are from Kohler.
Overall, we were able to pack a lot of function into a very small room.
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Remodeling The Oswego Landscape
August 15, 2009 by Neil
Filed under Crimson Life
My wife, Jennine, and I spent the morning renovating the landscape. We, along with other volunteers of the Oswegoland Park District, spent the morning planting native prairie plants in the Waubonsie Wetlands. This watershed connects the Waubonsie Creek to the Fox River. Over decades of development the natural topsoil has been removed and replaced with clay, sand and gravel. The park district is attempting to return this area to its natural environment.
We spent the morning in 80+ degrees weather digging holes in the rock-hard clay for new plants. The plants include: liatris, prairie dropseed grass, black-eyed susan and prairie geranium.
Dave Margolis, Oswegoland Park District’s Natural Resource Manager, was very pleased with the progress we made this morning. We planted over 200 plants! Not bad for a hot day. Dave hopes that by next year the roots have taken hold and the plants are multiplying to fill the entire area.
Update on Oswego Kitchen Renovation
December 2, 2008 by Neil
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling
As part of the ongoing kitchen remodel in Oswego we are building a curved wall to serve as an eat-in seating area. I thought I would take some time to show how a curved wall is built and how it turned out.
The first step is to construct curved top and bottom plates from plywood. We used the dimensions from the plans to layout the arcs on a full size template and traced that onto sheets of plywood. Next, studs are cut and spaced every couple of inches on the tight curves and further apart as the shape changes. Now we apply a layer of thin flexible plywood over the frame using glue and staples.
Becuase this plywood is so thin (1/8″) we add a second layer using contact cement to give the wall more strength and rigidity. Lastly, we cover everything with the final layer of cherry veneer shown here. As you can see it is extremely flexible. Again it is attached using contact cement.
Now the wall is set in place where it flows smoothly from one cabinet to another. Later the painters will stain and varnish the cherry veneer to match the Fieldstone Cabinetry.
Now that the granite counters are installed you can see that the curved wall follows the curve of the counter. Also note how the counter flows right into the window. All together a lot of nice details that will make this kitchen very special and perfect for the needs of the family that live here.
Oswego Kitchen Project
November 16, 2008 by Neil
Filed under Kitchen Remodeling
