There's a Russian proverb that equates manhood with three acts: The planting of a tree, the fathering of a child, the building of a house. Well, I've planted more trees that I can count. I have never fathered anything, but I have contributed significantly to the raising or more children than I can likewise count. (In a confluence of these acts: When my mother died, my students planted a tree in her honor!)
So what's left? -- A house! Ain't likely that I will ever be in a position to build one. But I have with some gusto redesigned a few in my life. My latest project is the finishing of the "unfinished" half of my basement.
My home was built in the early 1940's, and it's really a wonderful building. The aspects that most attracted me to it were it's hardwood floors, slate roof, fireplace, sun porch, brick exterior, and enclosed yard. The pluses were the large deck off of the back, it's location near to a wonderful park that snakes along both sides of Sligo Creek just north of Washington, DC. It's also in an established and diverse neighborhood. But one thing that has long nagged at me is the condiiton of the unfinished half of the basement.
So I have recently taken to renovating it. The first phase involves constructing walls to enclose the unfinished framework that divides the paneled portion from the unfinished half. The pics are from this work. (A) & (C) are of the area around the underside of the stairs. I only have the trim to complete and then paint. (B) shows a wall portion at the cusp of the rear door entrance. It's done and painted. I used a tongue and groove pine paneling to build the walls on frames of 2x3's. It was relatively easy to construct and the final product has a solid and crafted appearance.
Hope this encourages you to go for it. Home Depot is a wonderful place for supplies and advice, as long as you're patient and gracious. Happy hammering!
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