Replacing the steps to my porch

Getting the wall units to be perfectly level
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

The builder gave us ugly-ass precast concrete steps to our front door. Now that the weather is nice again, we decided to redo the front steps, and also add some pavers to create a small walkway leading up to said new steps.

I don't have all the pictures uploaded yet, will do that soon after the project is done!

DIY Cedar Mailbox

Cover attached!
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

The mailbox is done! Took long enough though.
The build is documented on flickr!

Plan for my new mailbox

Plan for my new mailbox
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

With all the wood left from the flowerbox project, I can build a mailbox as shown!

DIY cedar flower boxes.

Then there were two
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

We wanted more flower box space on the railing of the porch. But cedar flower boxes are expensive. Our old 22" one was $24.

I decided I can do better to build our own using cedar planks.

My DIY build is documented here on flickr.

Mulched flower bed

Mulched flower bed
Originally uploaded by t y a t t.

Another year, another spring.

To my pleasant surprise, (well really why should I be surprised) most of my perennials came back. Each of them started with reddish shoots that peer through the soil and then open to review fresh green leaves. Awesome.

This weekend Canadian Tire advertised on their flyer a new product -- coconut husk mulch. It comes in a block that is dried and compressed. The package is a little bit bigger than a phone book. When hydrated, it covers about 12 sq ft. We got 4 packages in total and it covered our flower bed, barely. :-D

What to do after a hard day of shoveling

What to do after a hard day of shoveling
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Man there was a ton of snow. So, after two days of shoveling my driveway, this is one thing you can do.

(and given the amount of snow, I won't be able to forgive myself for not at least digging one hole big enough for me.)

Thanks to Marco for the photoshoot, and helping to clear up my driveway!

Our new flower bed

Coreopsis verticillata 'Moonbeam'
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Finally I found the time to build a new flower bed to grace our otherwise barren front yard.

Also we took Pat's recommendation and bought a bunch of nice perennials from Humber Nurseries.

Photos are on Flickr

Harlequin Maple

We started to look at what to do for the yards (front and back) but personally I wanted a harlequin maple just like the one in my parents front yard.

Other trees?
Japanese maple (but there are thousands of species.. must find a nice looking one)
Korean lilac (supposed to smell good.. here's a picture)

Periwinkle Flower

Periwinkle Flower
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

The first flower of our house appeared! This is from the periwinkle that Pat, my friend at work, gave me last year. It had established itself, survived the winter, and grew bigger throughout this spring. :-D

Ground cover for the garden

Forget-me-not


Light purple Phlox
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Tyatt's mom gave us some of her ground cover plants like Forget-me-not and Phlox. We also bought some herbs and flowering plants as well!

That just means we'll have to opening up some flower beds soon.

DIY drapes for the house

Sewing machine action shot!
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

We needed drapes badly -- the Redi-shade is beginning to look old. Ready-made drapes are either too ugly or too expensive, or .. both. Custom-made ones from drapery stores are too expensive. So, we did it ourselves!

See it on Flickr

Closet Remodeling

I am being crushed by the PAX
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Our so called walk-in closet is very small, and the original shelves did not make full use of the space. We bit the bullet and bought the PAX closet shelves from IKEA.

Installing them was a challenge -- we pretty much had to assemble the shelves inside the closet because the door opening is much shorter than the full height of the closet. Also, the inside width of the closet is exactly the width of the shelves.. we had to plan the order of the assembly to assure we can actually move everything into place!

The assembly is documented on Flickr

Tiling the kitchen back splash

Cleaning the second row of tiles
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Our first project of 2007 is to tile the back splash in the kitchen. We used glass mosaic tiles and toiled for 4 nights to get it done. We are both excited about the result!

Opinions have varied.. many say the kitchen and tiles are stunning and the kitchen now has a certain funk. Other says the tiles made the kitchen darker.

You decide: The photos of the job are on Flickr

Installed my new dishwasher

The fancy dishwasher LIVES
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

We bought a new fancy dishwasher and I needed to save money. What better way to save money than to install this machine myself?

This project was complicated by a few things:
1) my dishwasher slot is not beside or near the sink / drains at all. I need to be able to route the supply and drain hoses and the electrical cable under the cabinets.

2) the builder did not provide adequate electrical rough-in for my plug-in dishwasher

So, I spent 1.5 days planning and deciding on the course of action, and 1 day actually doing the installation.

I partially documented the job on Flickr.

Painted Garage Floor

Painted Garage Floor
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

The real project of the Thanksgiving weekend is to paint the garage floor. I didn't take any pictures during the paint job because it was quite messy - the primer is actually a very tacky glue-like substance. This is the result though.. ain't it nice looking?

Tires Organized, Me Tired

Tires Organized, Me Tired
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

We wanted to (i.e. the wife insisted) that we (i.e. I) paint the garage floor.

To keep stuff off the floor for good I built another shelf, this time for holding the winter tires and other stuff.

New switches

Timer Switch
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

I've installed a new timer switch for the ventilation fan in the guest washroom upstairs and a motion detector switch for the light in the laundry / mud room.. Now when I go into the laundry room with a load of dirty clothes I don't have to reach for the light again!

The pictures for both switches are on Flickr

Photos for Logic board replacement

The business end of the logic board replacement.
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Sorry for the delay in posting pictures for the logic board for the garage door opener! They are mildly interesting, but I am overjoyed that the opener works properly again.

Logic board for garage opener arrived.

Last Friday I finally received the replacement logic board from Chamberlain. I installed it on Saturday and it works like a charm. I took some pictures and will put them up later..

"Stone" style glass tile

Stone style glass tile
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.

Applied another sample called "Stone". This time with white grout. Looks good.. I think we want to use this one for the kitchen.