Cliff May Restovation

It's been way way way too long... but that doesn't mean I've stopped working! Most recently I did a bit of a quickie-redo in the master bedroom. I have to tell you...touring tons of homes as a real estate broker, the master bedroom is always the last place to get attention. Anyhow, I could show you some before pictures, but they're horrible. I exposed the concrete floors, scraped the ceilings, and repainted. Here's how it looks now:

If you have $200 to spend on a modern mailbox...definitely buy this one:

http://www.neutrabox.com

The craftsmanship on the Neutrabox is unparalleled and the price, given how it's made, is actually quite reasonable. But if you're like me, you might need something a bit more economical.

So how did I get into looking for a new mailbox, anyway?


Like many problems, it started with the innocent but erroneous believe that a tilting item on a post would be fun and charming, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The reality, like most leaning structures, was that eventually my mailbox would fall down.

This thing was a bit of a last vestige of the previous owner's poor planning. It was located in the wrong spot and was the wrong design. There aren't really a lot cool, modern, post-mounted mailboxes. I decided to go back to some of Cliff May's original ideas: common materials, executed simply.

Instead of the awkward, complicated post pictured above, I decided to go with something simple...just a plain 4x4 post with a hidden platform to support the mailbox. No crossbars, not piece rising up in back, no bevels. And for the mailbox I wanted something simple and elegant, but also common. If you're on a budget, a great way to find modern-looking stuff is to go industrial or even agricultural. That's where you find the simple, functional stuff. Ultimately I decided to go with a simple rural mailbox, just like the one I have above...but in clearcoated aluminum. 

I'm a total workaholic...especially lately. One of the things that makes that lifestyle choice a bit more palatable is a kickass desk. Also, you may have noticed I haven't done an update on the floor project. I'm actually done (including baseboard repainting) but haven't had a chance to take pictures.

As a quick aside, painting baseboards the same color as the wheels does some much to streamline the appearance of a room. This is even more true in Cliff May homes where white baseboards just stick out and unnecessarily dry your eye to the lower edges of the room. Even in a plain-old tract home, this is great way to help the room "read" modern. The only pitfall, of course, is that your wall color and floor have to actually go together.

Anyhow, below is the desk. I started off with the Ikea Vika Lilleby trestles -- at $15/ea there's no way I could duplicate them. However, I was a bit disappointed their glass top selection. Not only was the glass either frosted or "circuit board" patterned, but it was only 3/8" thick and tempered. Tempered glass sounds like a great idea for a desktop, but it isn't. Tempered glass is very susceptible to bumps from the edges. Instead, I found a local glass company that made me a custom-sized piece of 1/2" non-tempered clear glass with straight edges and gently-clipped corners (so I won't poke myself). The price was reasonable and for $200 I now have a kickass desk.

My goal through the holiday weekend was to remove the tiles from my office. In my arsenal of tolls I have a scraper, heat gun, chisel, and hammer. I had heard this job can be a real bear so I wanted to give my plenty of time to complete it (and take breaks as to not lose my sanity).

I was able to get it mostly done, save for some cleanup around the baseboards and the closet area (which is more because I have stuff I'm too lazy to move. I also still have tomorrow. The plan is to pick up a product called Bean-e-doo (it's made from soybeans) on Tuesday as it will turn all of the black mastic into oily goo. From then, it's time to degrease and clean. Finally after that I can explore some surface treatment options. Here's a closeup:

This has been on the plate for a while now. Cliff May homes were built with asphalt composition tiles in throughout the house. A black, asbestos-containing, super-strong mastic was used to adhere them. I love the look of the tiles that my house came with. Instead of black, I had a deep ox-blood color. Unfortunately, when one of the previous owners installed carpet the tack strips obliterated the edges of all the rooms. In my office I have decided to remove the tiles and go down to the concrete to see how that feels for a while.

I couldn't wait so I did a test spot with crappy adhesive remover. It took the mastic right off. I think the Bean-e-doo will work even better.

I've been busy.

I was able to get the drywall done and the mirror mounted. What a pain the mirror was...you need to get the clips perfectly level but because it's a mirror, it's heavy and you need to use drywall anchors -- notorious for not going in straight.

It doesn't look too bad with the drywall patch primed....
Of course, the proof is when it's painted and...I suck at drywall. This was my first time doing any kind of mudding and it's a lot harder than it looks. For the next time around I think I'd do a much better job. I also learned some tricks along the way. For starters, the pre-mixed mud is a little thick and rubbery. It works a lot better with a small amount of water added and thinned out. Here's the result...hopefully the mirror will cover most of it:Fortunately, the mirror covers a lot of it.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but dropping a toothbrush (net weight: 2oz) on my sink resulted in this:

As you can see, there are also numerous stress cracks around. So I knew it was time for a new sink. I've never been a fan of the pedestals (though I like how they make small bathrooms look bigger). Anyhow, this is one of those situations where one thing leads to another (notice the funky tile on top of the sink) and you can quickly end up with a gutted space and drained bank account. Instead, I thought about what was most important to me and established a firm limit of scope.

I decided I would need a new sink, vanity, faucet. I also wanted to remove the aging medicine cabinet, add an electrical outlet inside the vanity (to keep the toothbrush and shaver chargers hidden) and finally move the bathroom light so it would be centered over the sink.

Whoever installed the previous sink loved construction adhesive. It was used to attach the sink to the wall (in addition to brackets) and the pedestal to the floor. Surprisingly, the tiles on top of the sink came off without a hitch. The construction adhesive did a number on the drywall. Even though it would be covered by the new sink, I had to add it to the list of little things I needed to make right, along with new quarter-turn angle stops and escutcheon plates.
After a quick clean up I did a mock-fit of the new sink and faucet. I ended up "Ikea Hacking" -- using pieces and parts from different items not originally designed to go together. This required some modifications, but I'm happy with the result.

Now onto the fun part that I had been dreading: drywall. I have purposely avoided any drywall projects. My standards are high and experience non-existant. Those two trait rarely go well together. I made the patch panels and got on my first layer of mud. I was also able to move the electrical junction box for the light and patch that area as well. I think it's going to take me another week. Fortunately, a new mirror will cover most of where the medicine cabinet was and the new light fixture will hide mistakes in the upper patch as well. I'm trying to take my time...if it takes 5 iterations of mudding to get it right, so be it.
What's left...I need to finish the mudding, repaint / texture the wall. And then it's just a bunch of odds and ends. I'd like to hang some art and really "finish it off."