Chimney days

Here at HQ, we have some chimneys.  They are fancy and lovely... and old, and in need of some love.  So we are showing them some love.  ​

Here's the imposing exterior side:​

The one on the left is the one we are loving at the moment.  The very top section has been removed, it will match the one on the right when we put it back together.​

Inside, we're installing gas fireplaces:​

There is a 3rd, but it was too shy to be photographed on picture day.​

Getting the flues open has been a bigger job than expected! The upper part of the chimney had a definite lean to it, and we discovered that a prior attempt to ​repair it.  The craftsman of the past had FILLED the flue with bricks, and not just loose bricks, they'd been cemented in... Stable, yes! Easy to undo? No!

Here's are some images of the dismantling:​

This is the same chimney from 2 angles - I nearly had a heart attack upon seeing these, so I wanted to share the shocking images.  This chimney has 3 flues, and the pipes coming out of the center flue are for the gas fireplace unit - the left and right flues were solid with bricks, and will also have pipes when they are finished being re-opened.​

Here's the top view:​

All three are now open, and soon we'll be on the path to putting them back together!! 

More information and photos as it becomes available!​

Taking a break from building...

We took a break last weekend from building, and helped a friend make a beautiful gift for his musician wife.  Here is the amazing piano cutting board in progress:​

This thoughtful husband was entirely hands-on for this work of art.  We were happy to assist, and the results were amazing!

This labor of love was painstaking to make, but worth it - I hope she likes it!

Here it is with a coat of food-grade finish:​

It may be true that we've been hankering to use our new band-saw and this was a perfect project to break it in... or maybe we just have a big heart for romance.​

Either way, ​it was fun to take a break from our regularly scheduled program and make something that turned out as lovely as this!

Spring Cleaning!

Its springtime and time to change out the winter woolies for shorts and flip-flops!  Now is a great time to start a home renovation or painting project.

At headquarters, there is a lot of work underway.  HQ was built in 1897, and the fireplaces were once used for coal - so they are very small - too small to burn wood or for most gas stoves - but we found some lovely, albeit tiny, stoves to use.

 We are filling un-used chimney cavities with vermiculite and lime, and installing stainless steel ventilation pipes in the to-be-used cavities.  We are doing this to stabilize the mortar joints of the old chimneys. Time and weather has not been kind to the chimneys, and they have a very definite lean to them... we'd like to keep them from toppling over!  Lime mortar alone would be very heavy, so we are mixing it with vermiculite, which will lighten it up, but still provide the stability we seek.

Next we will install gas logs or stoves - just in time for the summer heat!  The crew is working hard, but neatly - as always!​  ​

​This is a cavity awaiting concrete and vermiculite - to stabilize the chimney.

​The gas stove/log, waiting for installation

​Another stove/log waiting for installation

​What spring projects are you hoping to accomplish?  Get a fresh start on a new project. And keep checking in to see if our chimneys survive the makeover!